〈 Chapter 260 〉 It’s a Blessing, Not a Curse (1)
*
A year full of ups and downs is coming to an end.
The fallen leaves crunch underfoot, and the sky begins to fill with flurries of pure white snow. In winter, Apuria starts to pile up with fresh snow.
It’s said that the second semester is nearing its end.
With incidents like the disaster attacks and school closures for facility repairs, the academic schedule has been delayed, but as the snow begins to fall in earnest, the major subjects have started wrapping up one by one.
Thus, the long year is coming to a close, and the break signaling the end of the first year is approaching.
As if trying to make up for the past six months of non-stop running around, the students all busily plan their vacations. Belnoa is one of them.
‘Chloe must have planned a ton of things again.’
Who is her childhood friend, after all? She’s a girl who goes crazy over travel. No doubt, she has plenty of places laid out for the break.
Still, Belnoa knows how hard Chloe has been working just to keep up with classes these past six months. So, she thought it might be nice to go along with whatever Chloe had in mind for this vacation.
With such light thoughts in mind, Belnoa faced Chloe, only to widen her eyes at Chloe’s first words.
“I’m going to the front lines.”
“…What?”
Going to the front lines.
In a moment of shock, Belnoa felt her heart drop and shot back a question at Chloe.
“What do you mean?”
“You know Hero Galahal is here at the academy, right?”
“I do. I’m attending classes with him.”
“He wants me to learn intensively from him and… says I need to see what the battlefield is like. Apparently, it’s something that’s needed before becoming a trainee hero.”
“That’s…”
Belnoa fell silent.
Though she sometimes forgot, her childhood friend was blessed by the stars. And with that blessing comes responsibility.
Chloe is a hero candidate.
A hero must stand as a shield for humanity on the front lines. That is Chloe’s duty.
Belnoa knew that. She had just tried to ignore it, thinking there was still time… But being faced with it so suddenly left her at a loss for words.
“…”
A moment of silence.
Belnoa gathered her breath and spoke.
“How long will you be gone?”
“It’ll be about a month, I think.”
A month.
A short time if you think about it, yet long if you don’t.
“Is Professor Rania going too?”
“Yeah. Professor Rania and Hero Galahal are coming with me.”
“Well… that’s a relief.”
If she’s with a hero, and with Professor Rania who has overwhelming power even more than the hero… Chloe’s safety should be guaranteed.
It is safe, but that doesn’t mean Belnoa isn’t worried. She glanced at Chloe’s expression. Contrary to expectations, Chloe looked calm.
“Aren’t you worried?”
“I am worried.”
“Looks like you’re not much bothered by it, though.”
“Well, I’ve been thinking about it.”
Chloe broke into a slight smile.
“Coming out of the back alley, being protected by the famous mage, Uncle Yetual, and now… attending this dazzling academy.”
Chloe nodded slightly.
“It’s not a privilege I should be enjoying, yet here I am, all thanks to the blessing of the stars.”
“Well, that’s… true, but.”
“I dreamed of becoming a hero, and I don’t feel resentment towards a place I have to go someday. So, it’s okay.”
She speaks as if it’s fine.
It’s not an act. It’s not a lie either. It must be so, but Belnoa feels an unsettling vibe from Chloe.
Having been with Chloe for so long, Belnoa can tell.
Chloe doesn’t lie, but she also doesn’t reveal everything. That much was easily perceptible. Chloe wore an expression that suggested she had something troubling her.
“You don’t seem like you have no worries.”
“…Do I look that way?”
Seeing Belnoa nod, Chloe sighed heavily.
“You’re not going to say it, are you?”
“I think I need a bit more time to think.”
“Well, talk to me once you sort it out.”
Belnoa knew that pushing for an answer wouldn’t yield anything. So instead of prying, Belnoa threw out a light suggestion.
“Let’s go out and have fun when you come back.”
“…What’s with that? You’re the one saying it first, Belnoa.”
“It’s where you’ve been singing about going nonstop; I already got tickets.”
Belnoa placed two tickets on the table.
It was for a magic-themed amusement park that had opened recently in the name of the Master of the White Tower, and she had gotten the tickets early by asking Lac.
“They said it only opens during the break.”
“Wow…!”
Chloe’s expression lit up as she looked at the tickets with her usual gleam.
“Where did you get something like this?”
“I asked Lac for some.”
“I should thank him later.”
Chloe beamed with joy, as if simply imagining it cheered her up. After chatting for a while, Belnoa and Chloe parted ways, each heading to their own rooms.
Back in her room, Belnoa began to think.
About the passage of time.
She senses that Chloe is changing and that she too cannot afford to stay still.
It was a few days later that Belnoa began increasing her training hours and sought teachings from someone other than Rania.
2.
A few days after the break began in Apuria, Rania headed towards the front lines. Because the distance was quite far, they took a carriage to the vicinity of the front lines, where Galahal was riding along.
“Nice carriage.”
“Roks prepared it. He said since you’re on your way, you should travel comfortably.”
What’s with this?
Just as she was about to say something, Rania bit her tongue. The carriage was good, but compared to the one she’d ridden with Kyle, it wasn’t that excellent.
‘What was it again? The ride was so terrible, it felt like a joke.’
Sarah and Remia had said that.
“Are you really making me ride something like this? Are you kidding me, human?”
“Are you joking with me right now?”
Even if the ride was uncomfortable, it was her role to calm down the angry Remia who would want to yell at the coachman, so thankfully she didn’t have to take on that role now.
“Hello, Chloe!”
“Hello, Professor Rania!”
Once on the carriage, Belnoa saw Chloe, whose shoulders were stiff with tension. She wasn’t wearing her usual uniform but was in an outfit resembling the attire of the Black Tower.
“Well then, let’s go.”
The carriage carrying Rania, Galahal, and Chloe set off. The journey to the battlefield was long, leaving ample time for conversation along the way.
“I delivered the letter.”
“Is it to Raniel?”
“Yeah, he said he received it.”
The topic was a continuation of a conversation they had earlier.
As soon as she heard the name Raniel, Chloe flinched a bit, but there was no time to worry about that.
“It’s been a while since he received it, but the letter hasn’t come yet.”
“I haven’t sent it yet.”
“I told you it only takes a day for the letter to arrive, and you can write it and send it right away.”
“You did say that.”
“Then why?”
Rania asked.
Galahal didn’t respond right away.
“Because I’m still sorting out my thoughts.”
“Is there really a need to sort them out? You’re close, aren’t you? It’s not like there’s no one to help you sort it out.”
“Because we’re close, I’m being more cautious.”
Galahal chuckled wryly.
“If I send the wrong message, the meaning changes. I’m thinking it over. I’ll send it when the time comes, so don’t worry too much.”
“I’m not exactly worried about that.”
It’s just that I’m concerned.
“With that guy’s personality, you can’t say you’re not worried. He’s probably staring at the letter the entire time. Yeah, I guess I should at least write something and send it.”
“…I’ve heard he hasn’t done that at all.”
“Oh, really? You share even the most trivial information, huh? You must be quite close.”
Rania clicked her tongue and looked out the window. The carriage moved at a swift pace, and the scenery kept changing.
Even in the changing scenery, a certain flow existed.
It would shift from lush forests to vast plains, and gradually the trees would seem to disappear.
The carriage was moving day and night. At some point, the coachman got down, and the enchanted carriage began to head towards its destination automatically.
Chloe, who had started dozing off midway, leaned against the window and fell asleep. Rania and Galahal were wide awake. Both stared at the scenery outside.
‘It’s been a while.’
Returning to the battlefield was a rare experience.
Rania suddenly thought. After deciding to retire, there hadn’t been a chance to return to the battlefield.
Indeed, for her, the scenery rushing by outside was both familiar and strange.
The trees disappeared, revealing desolation. The weather mixed wildly, with sunlight blaring down, followed by snow and rain in a chaotic cycle. The disarrayed scenery indicated they were nearing their destination.
The Phantom Territory (???) was approaching.
“Ugh, ughh…”
Suddenly, Chloe raised her body from sleep.
It wasn’t because the ride was terrible. The ride was good, and the interior was without shaking.
“Cough, hmm…”
Chloe pressed her thumb against her chest as if feeling discomfort. Rania, noticing this, pulled out a water bottle from her robe and handed it to Chloe.
“Here. Drink this.”
“Ah, thank you.”
“It feels a bit hard to breathe, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah, a little…”
After Chloe moistens her throat, she nods.
It wasn’t that it was significantly hard to breathe, but it felt uncomfortable as if her nose were blocked.
“That’s because we’re getting closer to the Phantom Territory.”
“The Phantom Territory…?”
“Yeah. The front lines. It’s a place where remnants of magic (???) linger, so it’s normal to struggle with breathing.”
“M-magic?”
She had heard of it.
There were stories of individuals who didn’t protect themselves from magic and died spewing black blood. Chloe’s face turned pale as she quickly covered her mouth.
“I-I then…!”
“You won’t get magic poisoning even if you die, so just hold onto that worry.”
“Ow!”
Rania smiled bitterly as she flicked Chloe on the forehead.
“Heroes don’t get magic poisoning. The starlight itself resists it. And with you, having your mana entirely made of starlight… you could drink the water saturated with magic and be just fine.”
“I-is that so?”
“Yeah. The discomfort you’re feeling right now is just because you aren’t used to the environment yet.”
Chloe dropped her hand from her mouth.
She could definitely feel her breathing becoming easier little by little.
“Well, just to let you know… it’s a breathing technique.”
Rania raised her finger.
Her slender index finger tapped Chloe gently on the forehead. Blue mana seeped into Chloe’s forehead.
“Close your eyes and focus. You should feel the circulating mana; that’s the flow, okay?”
“Y-yes…”
“Do you feel the blockage?”
“Ah, yes.”
The flowing mana becomes blocked.
The speed of the flow becomes noticeably slower.
“Think of releasing that blockage. Move the mana, or clear away the fallen leaves blocking the waterflow. Something like that.”
“Hmm…”
The water begins to overflow.
With just a light suggestion, Chloe resolves the blockage in a split second.
“Oh.”
Rania briefly admired.
Chloe inhaled deeply, grinning cheerfully.
“My nose isn’t blocked anymore!”
“Well, it wasn’t blocked from the start.”
“Wasn’t it?”
Hehehe, Chloe laughed as Rania patted her head. Galahal, silently watching this scene, narrowed his eyes.
His gaze thinned.
The eyes carried a sense of familiarity.
“By the way, are you okay, Professor Rania?”
Galahal asked.
Rania tilted her head.
“What could be wrong with me?”
“If you’re not like Chloe, who has a unique constitution, magic is usually tough for mages.”
“Am I a typical mage?”
Rania shrugged her shoulders.
“Of course I know how to protect myself from magic. There’s no way I wouldn’t.”
“…Is that so?”
Galahal looked skeptically at Rania but eventually nodded slowly.
3.
Soon enough, the carriage arrived at its destination.
After getting off the carriage, what immediately came into view was the Knights Order’s base, remodeled from an old abandoned castle.
“Hero Galahal, we meet again!”
The knights waiting by the carriage saluted Galahal. Galahal responded with a smile to their salute, then got off, followed by Rania and Chloe.
Chloe’s shoulders tensed up.
After stepping into the Phantom Territory, the weather had grown noticeably colder. Chloe rubbed her arms as she gazed up at the castle before her.
‘The base, Kateron Castle.’
She had heard about it and seen it but only encountered it through rumors.
She was facing these things one by one. Chloe swallowed hard, trying to steady her breath.
“Oh.”
Unlike Chloe, Rania briefly admired as she lightly dusted off her wrinkled robe inside the carriage.
‘It’s been a while.’
Though the Knights Order Leader Heinkel didn’t often stay in Kateron Castle, they tended to gather there for significant matters.
As Rania was sifting through her memories…
“The Knights Order Leader, Heinkel is waiting for you. Let me guide you now…”
One knight stepped forward while the rest took a step back.
As the knights at the castle entrance saluted, the path to the castle came into view.
And then.
“Oh, what is this?”
There was someone who didn’t move aside.
At the entrance of Kateron, someone was sitting leisurely on a chair.
With dark gray hair and murky black eyes.
Dressed more like an adventurer than a knight, a man approached the knight with a light stride and said.
“You came quicker than I expected.”
Approaching the knight with a light stride, he patted the knight’s shoulder a couple of times and waved his hand dismissively.
“I’ll guide you. You go ahead.”
“…The Knights Order Leader, Sir Heinkel…”
“Do I need to repeat myself?”
The knight retreated silently.
The man moved forward as the knight stepped back.
“…”
The place where the man stopped was right in front of Galahal, who led the group. After a brief silence, the man nodded lightly.
“It’s been a while, Galahal.”
“Yes, it has been. Destel.”
The cowardly Destel.
Galahal extended his hand, but Destel did not take it. Instead, he brushed past Galahal with a nod.
A few steps forward.
“So.”
Stopping his stride, Destel slightly bent at the waist.
Bending over and tilting his head, Destel looked at the woman standing behind Galahal.
“You’re that rumored Raniel’s sister?”
He extended his hand toward her.
“Nice to meet you, I am…”
“I didn’t ask.”
Rania snapped back at him.
Her blue eyes directed at Destel felt as if he was being scrutinized like a bug. Destel was taken aback for a moment at her fierce gaze.
“Haha.”
A smile hovered at his lips.
“Who told you to lie about not looking alike?”
