CH 57

As Lou approached Nadia, he sat down right beside her and began to reinforce his magic power.

The powerful magical wave aura that Lou released filled the area, and everyone felt a tingling and stinging in their skin.

“A-Amazing!”

Giselle was dumbstruck. It was her first encounter with Lou’s incomparable magic power, but then…

When she saw Lou put his hand on Nadia’s chest, she started making a ruckus again.

“Ahhhhh, that guy! He’s touching Nadia’s breasts!?”

Right at that moment, a crisp smack sounded on Giselle’s cheek.

Moral gave her a slap.

“You’re being noisy! Master Lou can’t concentrate!”

“W-What the hell!”

“If you want to save her, keep your mouth shut. For your information, you were saved the same way.”

Giselle was even more shocked, upon hearing Moral’s flat report, as she rubbed her bruised cheek.

“Me-me-me too?! H-H-He groped my breasts? T-T-That guy did what?!”

Another slap landed on her other cheek.

Moral was glaring at Giselle with a terrifying glint in her eyes.

“I forgot to mention. You should be careful how you speak to Master Lou, including how you address him. He generally won’t help someone he has no connection with.”

“Cough-cough…”

Giselle held her cheeks in frustration as Moral coldly told her off.

Then a calm voice called out.

It was Lou.

“Moral, forgive her. Giselle, Moral is right. You need to be a little quieter. We’re trying to help Nadia.”

Giselle bit her lip for a moment…

She stared at Lou’s face and begged desperately.

It was all for Nadia.

“Uh, got it! Please! Please, Nadia, please be sure to help Nadia!”

“Giselle, don’t worry. I’m on it! I’ll save Nadia!”

“Ahmm…”

Giselle was rendered speechless when she heard Lou’s ‘promise’.

His firm tone and gentle smile calmed her down…

◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇

Lou turned back to Nadia and began to raise his magic power again.

A dazzling white light overflowed from his whole body, and in the blink of an eye, covered him.

This light was the unique magic wave aura that Lou emitted, and now everyone couldn’t see him properly.

Mounting magic waves were flowing from Lou’s hand to Nadia’s chest.

Giselle stared fixedly at him.

Then, with a ‘pop,’ she felt a hand on her shoulder.

A smiling Adelaide stood beside her.

“C-Chairman…”

“He’s probably in more danger than when he went to your mind world.”

“Huh?!”

“I also have some knowledge acquired from grimoires…”

…It was said that in the human mind world, or the spiritual world, there was a bottom also known as the Abyss Profondum, which was also connected to the underworld.

Those who were bewitched by demons would have their souls damaged…

The real body, or core, that controlled the will of the soul would fall near the abyss.

The demon who catches the soul in exchange for rewards would receive the soul core of the contractor in the abyss and return to the underworld.

How difficult was it to find and rescue a core of a fallen soul from the abyss?

As for those who had gone to help, no one had ever been able to return…

“N-No one has been able to return? Chairman, is th-that man risking his life for Nadia?”　

“Perhaps…”

Adelaide answered vaguely and smiled gently again.

Why is that?　

After hearing this shocking truth, Giselle couldn’t help but wonder.

Lou just arrived at the school…

Even though he was a teacher, he was still just a stranger to her and Nadia.

Why was Lou willing to risk so much and even his life for the sake of others?

If it were me, could I take such a risk?

Nadia was enveloped in the dazzling white light that Lou emitted.

As Giselle watched on, she kept asking herself the same questions.

◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇ ◆ ◇

Lou was in deep water.

It wasn’t clear water at all.

It was black, murky, and dirty, where vision was totally impaired.

The water itself was sticky, and the odor was quite pungent.

Every time he moved his hand, the miasma would rise up and an unpleasant sensation would hit him all over.

It was as if his whole body was wrapped in a moist mucous membrane.

If he were an ordinary person…

He might have gone insane.

This was Nadia’s mind world ――― the remnants of her soul that had been invaded by Vine.

Could the core of Nadia’s soul be at the bottom of this water?

『Take it easy, Lou. I’ll lead you.』

All of a sudden, Lucifer’s inner voice whispered to Lou.

Louu nodded, put his strength into his hands, and dove deeper and deeper.

For a while, Lou just paddled in the water and dove under…

He couldn’t see the bottom yet.

The water itself was too muddy for him to see.

『What do you think, Lucifer?』　

『Keep going. There’s a reaction a little further ahead.』

Lou obeyed Lucifer and dove further.

Then!

He found a pale glowing object, lying on the ground.

When Lou approached, he saw that it was a slender naked girl with her eyes closed.

This girl was the core of Nadia’s soul.

Lou reached out and picked Nadia up, but

Her limbs hung down sluggishly, without any strength.

『Lucifer, is that the best method to repair her soul?』　

『Yes, you can try it as your teacher Sowell taught you. Her body is mine to support.』

Lou took his hands off Nadia, but Lucifer was right.

Nadia’s body no longer sank again, but floated in front of him.

Lou held his hand up and channeled a magic wave aura into Nadia’s body.

What was the Soul Restoration he had mastered?

It was a method that called to the core of the soul and worked to bring it back to consciousness while sending a huge amount of magic waves.

Naturally, the magic waves had healing effects, and the soul’s core would be repaired at the same time.

『Poor soul, demon-infested soul. Can you hear me? Is your destination the ever-freezing night? Or do you want to go to the world where your beloved parents and friends are waiting for you?』

Nadia’s mouth, which had been completely unresponsive until then, moved slightly in response to Lou’s Kotodama.

Her soul core, which had lost its vitality and could not speak, was about to revive.

『Almost there. I know you want to live.』

Lou infused more magic waves.

It would take an enormous amount of magic power to repair a soul, but Lou’s expression remained calm.

Nadia’s mouth was already open, as if she wanted to speak, and her eyelids keep twitching.

『Come on, open your eyes! Revive!』

『!』

Nadia finally awakened.

She quietly and slowly opened her eyes and looked at Lou blankly.

In contrast, Lou remained as calm as ever.

Nadia stared at Lou for a while…

When she blinked at him again, her eyes suddenly widened.

She gaped at him as if seeing something incredible.

At the same time, she involuntarily put her hand over her mouth and suppressed trying to speak.

『Nadia.』

Lou called out gently.

『I’m here to help. You’re safe now.』

The fear and pain she had been holding in was gone.

In an instant, Nadia burst out crying and clung to Lou.