〈 Episode 311 〉 What the stars wish for (4)
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When dealing with transcendent beings such as stars, wizards often use the expression that it feels as if time has stopped. That is not a particularly wrong expression.
Because transactions with transcendent beings take place in the nick of time. The moment you hear their voices, you escape from the speed at which the world flows.
Belnoa is also feeling the same way now.
【Child, tell me what you wish for.】
The screaming that was pouring out is no longer heard.
Not the cursed dragon’s howl, the sound of Kelhalm drawing a circuit, the sounds of the knights’ armor as they busily move… nothing can be heard.
In a world where everything has stopped.
【hurry.】
All you can hear is someone’s voice.
It is not the voice of a star.
Star’s voice is hard and emotionless. It is an unknown voice whose gender, age, or anything else is unknown. In comparison, what about the voice ringing in your ears right now?
【Didn’t you call me?】
It’s a woman’s voice that seems to be whispering.
The voice eventually takes shape. In the frozen time, Belle Noah cannot move and look behind her, but she senses that there is someone behind her.
Sarah.
Someone’s hair is flowing down Belnoa’s shoulder. The flowing hair is reminiscent of the night sky. The jet-black, wavy hair is even mysterious.
Kuuk.
Then I feel a hand.
The woman’s fingers wrapped around Belnoa’s shoulder. White and thin fingers. Her fingers gently wrapped around Belle Noah’s shoulders.
【You are the third.】
she whispered.
【My first contractor hoped for a human world to come. I desperately wanted it. So, he made a deal with me to take down all the false gods. Indeed, he was great in that he did it, but he was also a boring man. Because he deceived himself until the very end.】
Ugh, a weight was placed on Belnoa’s shoulders.
【My second contractor wanted to keep the faith. He hoped that no one would feel the same pain as he did, and he hoped to create a world where children could smile. I sincerely hoped so.】
When I say the first one, I say it with a bit of anger.
When talking about the second part, it was as if he was steeped in memories.
【Hey.】
and.
【This will be my third child.】
The third time, with anticipation.
【What do you wish for?】
The woman whispered into Belnoa’s ear.
She wrapped her arms around Belnoa’s neck and slowly leaned her body forward. Her eyes are visible through her flowing black hair.
Golden eyes.
The animal’s pupils are split vertically.
Facing those pupils that looked like they were about to be sucked in, Belnoir pondered the woman’s question. she asked the woman. She asks what she wants. Belle Noah instinctively senses that she should never answer that question falsely.
‘What I wish for.’
The worries didn’t last long.
Because what Belnoa has to say in reply has been decided.
“I don’t want something grand like that.”
Belnoir said.
He says he doesn’t have any great wishes.
It is sincerity without a single lie. Belnoa has no grandiose goals to achieve something against the world, no beliefs that must be kept, or anything else.
There’s no way something like that exists.
From a young age, the boy struggled to survive. He got his hands dirty and did whatever he could. For Belnoa, who went through such a childhood, there is no such thing as a wonderful dream.
‘Survive.’
That is the value that Belnoa values most.
In order to survive, I will bend my beliefs. Everything that can be bent is bent. You can criticize me for being servile. That is your foundation.
“but.”
But, even to myself.
To the orphans of the slums who lived crawling on the floor.
“If it’s a little wind, it’s there.”
There is at least one thing I want to protect.
Belnoir looks at the girl standing in front of him in frozen time. She looks at the girl’s back. She goes on to say that the girl she is moving forward with is named Chloe.
“what is your name?”
The girl who gave him life.
For Belnoa, it is an irreplaceable being.
A human being who shines brightly because he or she is different from oneself.
‘At first, I thought I wanted to protect it.’
I thought I had to protect her from getting dirty and from being stained by the world. She needed to be protected, Belnoa thought. However, that is Belnoa’s arrogance.
Chloe steps forward.
It grows and changes as it pleases.
The girl who thought she would be tainted by the world is actually trying to shine even more brilliantly. Bellenoir no longer feels arrogant about protecting her. She just desperately wants it.
“I want to stand by that kid.”
Belnoa said.
“I want to go with you. I want to walk the same path. I want to see the same goal and move forward together. “Let’s not fall behind, together.”
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The truth that I revealed for the first time.
【aha.】
The woman laughs at the boy’s wishes.
【It really is a small wind.】
However, the woman muttered and moved.
The woman who came in front of Belnoa as if swimming in the air looked directly at him and smiled.
【That’s also what my first contractor truly hoped for. That liar hid his true feelings with grandiose goals, but you don’t do that.】
With a boy who resembles an ancient dragon wizard.
A girl who resembles Cletus of Discipline.
The woman glances at the two and smiles.
【I don’t know if it’s a prank by the stars or fate.】
She reached out and grabbed Belnoa’s chin.
【Do you like it.】
The woman opened her mouth.
【I am the master of the shadow dragon.】
【He is the master of the dragons that once lived and breathed in this land. He is also the god of the beginning.】
She whispered to Belnoa.
【God (?) is one who answers prayers.】
【Your wish was heard.】
【I will accept the deal.】
She tapped and touched the scale floating in front of Belnoa. The shape of the scale changes. She placed her finger on the scale that had transformed into her strange form.
Kuuk.
The scales tilt as they please.
【First, let’s try to defeat the dragon that has lost its pride.】
A shadow flows down from the scale.
The flowing shadows pool at Belnoa’s feet. The woman crumbles and scatters, leaving it behind. With the flying powder, the world returns to its original time.
“···Phew.”
Belnoir takes a short breath and looks at his fingers. Blood flows from the knuckles of his tattered fingers. Blood flows through the weak human body.
The offering is finished.
God answered human wishes.
All that’s left is to prove yourself.
Belnoa moved his fingers slowly. The shadow pooled beneath her feet fluttered along Belle Noah’s fingers.
2.
Chloe ponders Kelhalm’s teachings.
A wizard is someone who must always be cool-headed.
If you don’t see the answer, take a different path. Keep struggling. Think about it. Until you find the answer.
‘···method.’
Chloe looks up at the sky.
Flying in the sky is a terrible cursed dragon. Even though Kelhalm is holding the dragon down for now, there will soon be a limit. Chloe senses it.
The dragon flaps its wings.
Every drop of water that falls from the wings is a human life. It is evaporating at a rapid rate. It’s not going away.
Offering.
Prices are being raised haphazardly on the scales. This is not a proper way to trade. It’s inefficient. There is so much life flowing. It is an extremely violent transaction, but the outcome cannot be easily predicted.
‘It’s pierced.’
Kelhalm and Chloe have the same thoughts.
Kelhalm is reversing the direction of the circuit. In order to somehow get through the blow, Kelhalm squeezes out the mana that is sorely lacking compared to his prime.
And Chloe.
“······.”
Close your eyes.
At this moment when she is cornered, what she thinks of is the person who taught her what it means to be a hero.
“The world calls those who decide to move forward even in the face of reality a hero.”
A human who challenged the impossible.
Chloe clasps his hands, remembering the light he had at the end. Starlight gathers in her hands. Chloe prepares a blow that will turn the impossible into possible.
Squeak, squeak.
Amplified starlight converges.
In a cold sweat, Chloe handles the stars. It would be unthinkable if she were alone, but now Kelhalm is buying Chloe time.
‘but···.’
Chloe has a hunch.
The starlight he is currently collecting is extremely slow. This does not reach the flying dragon. This is a strike to burn away the darkness beneath the ground.
chin.
That’s the moment. Someone came up next to Chloe.
“···Belnoa?”
Chloe looks to the side.
There is a boy who approaches there, dragging a shadow. Belnoa said while looking up at the sky.
“Keep collecting.”
Belnoa turns his head.
He smiled as he looked at Chloe standing next to me.
“I’ll drop that one.”
3.
‘This is the limit.’
Kelhalm presses his palms together.
Indeed, the side effects of embracing the shadow on the body are not easy to see. The maximum amount of mana was noticeably reduced, so it didn’t take as long as expected.
but···.
‘I guess that was enough.’
The flow of mana felt behind my back.
The flow is unusual. They were just kids when I saw them at the academy, but they seem to have grown noticeably in that short period of time.
Children change.
It grows surprisingly quickly.
Kelhalm, whose roots are as an educator, feels joy in the growth of young heroes. Also, in order to create a path for the children to move forward as adults, Kelhalm squeezes out all the remaining mana.
Bingle.
Kelhalm draws a circle.
Hundreds of circuits that were divided into one circle are all sucked in. The circle that begins to contract like that eventually becomes a dot. A red dot formed on Kelhalm’s fingertips.
“Get ready.”
Kelhalm aims his finger at the dragon.
Kelhalm recited a spell, aiming his fingertips at the magic flowing from the dragon’s maw.
Clean up (一？）.
At that moment, the curse dragon’s spell is also completed.
The curse dragon spews out scum. The moment the spell created by sacrificing human vengeful spirits was about to touch the ground, a flash of light burst out from Kelrhalm’s fingertips.
The flash of light sets everything on fire.
What was created like that was a momentary gap.
Kelhalm, who has used up his remaining mana all the way to the floor, takes a step back. As if replacing him, Chloe, who draws the starlight, and Belnoa, who holds the shadow, take a step forward.
Belnoir lifted his broken finger.
The weak human body breaks so easily and bleeds. As he moves his body, Belnoa is reminded of the teachings of his ancestors.
“Spells are wishes. “The shadow solidifies what you desire as a form.”
What to hope for.
What is the existence you desire?
“What comes to mind is a being with a perfect form.”
Belnoa looks up at the sky.
The cursed dragon flying in the sky forgot its pride. A dragon that forgets its pride is not perfect. What he should be thinking about is not that insignificant dragon.
“Perfect beings who swept the entire area with a single flap of their wings and set the earth and sky on fire with a single breath.”
A person with pride.
A being similar to the shaman seen in the trials.
Sloshing.
The shadow that had pooled under Belnoa’s feet rises. Shadows replace Belnoa’s broken fingers and torn skin. The wound heals and new skin grows.
What is sprouting is not human flesh.
Dragon scales cover Belnoa’s fingers. It is a scale that flutters like a shadow. Belle Noah raised her scaly hands.
‘A being that causes a storm with a single flap of its wings.’
What comes to mind is a storm.
‘Black Storm, Belial.’
Bend your fingers.
Grasp the air with hooked fingers. I feel the sensation of my fingers digging into the air. No, it is not empty space.
There is a wind blowing.
Belnoa caught the dragon’s claws in the wind.
I can feel the flow of wind. I instinctively understand how to deal with it. Because it was like dealing with shadows.
Squeak, squeak.
Belnoa waved his hand.
The wind entangled in my fingers moves. Belnoa reproduces Belial’s spell seen in the trials.
Pop, pop, pop.
With one swing, all the scales come off. Fingers are torn off. Belnoa senses that there is still a long and difficult road to go. However, Belnoa succeeded in imitating the blow he saw in the ordeal.
Huh.
A ray of wind blows.
The low wind blows away all the accumulated snow, slowly heading towards the sky. The wind gets stronger. The wind becomes stronger, plowing away all the drifting snow.
Ka ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga!
A strong wind surrounds the dragon that has lost its pride.
The flapping of the black dragon’s wings, which returns everything to nothingness, rips off the wings of the dragon that has lost its pride.
【■■■■■, Kie■■Esss!】
The curse dragon screams and flaps its wings, but it cannot escape the wind. The dragon’s wings are torn apart. The dragon crashes into the snowy field, shedding black water.
Coooooo!
A huge dragon fell to the ground.
The ground shakes and the wind and snow rises. Belnoa spat out a handful of blood and twisted the corner of his mouth. He dared to drop the dragon to the ground.
What remains is the role of the hero.
“Shoot it, Chloe.”
Chloe, standing next to Belnoa, nodded.
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fantasy,
