Chapter 29: ...This is not how you should draw it.

Chapter 29: ...This is not how you should draw it.

"The direction itself is correct... Don't worry too much."

"Yes, we're doing well enough."

The members of Group 5, to which Becky belonged, encouraged one another. The atmosphere was warm and friendly, regardless of their performance, thanks to their excellent teamwork.

The progress they had made so far was also quite impressive.

『Observation』, 『Risk detection』, 『Leap』』... Group 5 had devised a strategy to avoid battles by any means necessary, equipped with scrolls. Despite their flawless execution and successful outcomes thus far, they showed no signs of exhaustion.

“There is a checkpoint in the labyrinth. Let us aim for that.”

One member agreed with Becky's suggestion, while another tilted their head in confusion.

"But... something seems strange. The display of the location scroll should be accurate this time."

"Yes, you're right."

However, if there was a problem, the markings on the scroll were significantly incorrect.

They had already visited three checkpoints, and all of them turned out to be empty. It could be a problem with the location scroll or with the labyrinth itself...

“Did you bring the wrong scroll?”

“Hey, absolutely not. I went through so much trouble to obtain it..."

While the group members were examining various aspects of the location scroll,

-Kugugugugu―!

Suddenly, a tremendous noise reverberated from beyond the right wall of the passage. Though they couldn't discern the exact nature of the situation, something was clearly happening.

Group 5 became startled and pressed their ears against the wall, focusing their attention.

-Kieeeeek―!

A creepy sound filled the air. Becky's head trembled.

"Ugh... Gives me goosebumps. Choosing not to go for a direct assault was a really good decision for us."

The other team members nodded in agreement. It had been a while since they had traversed this particular passage.

-Kugugugugu―!

This time, the right wall began to crumble and collapse entirely.

"What, what is this? Why is it happening like this?"

"I didn't sense any traps being activated. What's going on?"

Amidst the sudden phenomenon, they were bewildered, but at the same time, the sight of another team came into view.

The first person to catch Becky's eyes was Flan.

"Uh, hey, Flan..."

She tried to call him but stopped midway.

Firstly, the thought of the exploration assessment being a competition crossed her mind. Secondly, not only Flan's group but also the appearance of Group 1, which included Hailey, came into view as well.

Perhaps due to the peculiar phenomenon inside the labyrinth, no one had a bright expression.

The three groups silently observed each other without saying a word. A brief moment of awkward silence passed.

Judging by their appearances, it was evident that all three teams were taken aback by the collapsing walls.

"Hey, guys, hi there."

Among them, Hailey stepped forward with a friendly attitude.

She glanced around, observing various things. It seemed she had an interest in the other groups.

"Are you all doing well? But, isn't the state of the labyrinth a bit strange? It seems so different from the labyrinth we were originally guided through."

Hailey moved closer to Becky, who appeared to be the leader of Group 5. Becky had no choice but to respond.

"Well... It's more or less okay."

Casually skirting around the topic, Becky also observed Hailey's group.

Hailey's Group 12 consisted of Louis and the transfer students who had recently joined to fill Aria's vacancy.

Louis, being a member of the group, seemed to have smoothly overcome the crisis without significant difficulties. And that would likely be the case in reality as well.

More than that, Becky was concerned because the transfer student had an exceptionally beautiful face. She also seemed to be good friends with Flan.

'I can do anything for Sir Flan....' Becky recalled her saying something like that.

Becky guessed that maybe this transfer student was the one Flan contacted on Trivia.

“Ah~ Sir Flan! Are you here!”

The transfer student, as white as snow, ran toward Flan.

At first glance, it seemed that she was trying to hug Flan, but as Flan shrewdly avoided it, it looked like she was hugging the air.

Nevertheless, the transfer student remained undeterred and spoke.

"Are you doing well? Thanks to the excellent group members, I'm doing fine! And if this helps, would you like to use these?"

The transfer student held out three scrolls to Flan. Louis followed closely behind and let out a deep sigh.

"Yushia, those are the scrolls we should use for our team. What if we give them to another team?"

Yushia. That was the name of the transfer student. Becky made sure to remember those letters.

Meanwhile, despite reproaching others, Louis had a smile on his face and a gentlemanly attitude. He seemed to have no ill intentions toward others.

"Oh, should I not give it? I didn't know!"

But then, unexpectedly, Trixie intervened and said something to Yushia.

"Giving bribes is illegal. Go away."

"Bribes...? My sister likes that...."

"Be honest and go away."

Neither Yushia's nor Trixie’s attitudes were something Becky couldn't understand right away.

However, the sight of Flan being surrounded by two delicate girls, like works of art, appeared nonchalant to her.

For a guy, it would typically be a situation to be delighted about, but Flan showed no signs of happiness or tension.

No, it seemed like he didn't even realize that someone was clinging to him. He was still focused on examining the location scroll.

For some reason, Becky felt a tightening in her chest, so she forcefully pressed her bruised knees against the ground.

“Hey, Becky.”

Just then, Hailey's voice reached her ears. Becky shook her head vigorously to clear her thoughts and replied, "Yes. What is it?"

"Can we have a moment to talk alone?"

Becky agreed to Hailey's suggestion, and they distanced themselves from the other team members.

However, despite that, my body remained steady. The tightly woven mana membrane didn't allow any loss of grace in my movements.

Thanks to that, I could closely observe Becky and Hailey's appearances. Hailey seemed to have lost consciousness immediately, her head hanging limply, while Becky had vacant eyes, staring blankly.

Finally, when I had depleted all the mana.

“Impossible....”

Becky mumbled with unfocused eyes. As soon as I heard those words, I couldn't help but burst into laughter in disbelief.

"What a pitiful thinking."

I reached into my pocket and grasped the artifact. The mana contained in this crystal given by Violet was certainly not insignificant.

Finally, when the distance between Becky and me was within reach...

-Thud!

I clenched my fist and shattered the crystal.

◈◈◈

Becky caught a glimpse of Flan's figure. In fact, it didn't matter anymore. The worries had faded away. She was gradually accepting the fact that death was imminent.

In the next life, she wanted to be born as a magic prodigy. If that was too much to ask, at least she wanted to be born with a noble lineage.

If that was also too much to ask... she didn't want to be reborn at all.

Flan's figure still entered her eyes. The distance between them inexplicably narrowed. Another astonishing thing was that even in the midst of falling, Flan's grace and poise were flawless.

...Yes, a "magic prodigy" was right in front of her.

"I also... wish I could use magic like you,"

Becky muttered involuntarily. The girl's vacant eyes contained the image of a boy.

"It would be nice if I could use magic skillfully."

But still...

"Forever, it will be impossible...."

Even the sound of cutting through the air gradually became familiar, and Becky quietly closed her eyes. Facing death when opening one's eyes was indeed frightening. She closed her eyes and waited for this humble life to end.

"How pathetic."

- Zap.

- Crack!

A dazzling flash struck Becky's closed eyelids. Simultaneously, the sensation of falling disappeared instantly.

The deafening sound that seemed capable of tearing eardrums could no longer be heard.

'Am I finally dead?'

With a sense of confusion, Becky cautiously opened her eyes, and her thought process came to a halt.

"...Huh?"

She found herself floating.

The falling rocks, Hailey perched on a rock fragment, or rather everything around her... it all seemed suspended in the air as if time had frozen.

The falling rockA blue light scattered like stardust, illuminating the surroundings. Becky unintentionally opened her mouth in awe of the surreal scenery.

"What... why..."

She swallowed her saliva and scanned her surroundings.

Upon further examination, it remained the same. Everything appeared to be suspended mid-air, as if time had frozen at a specific moment.

And at that moment...

“Becky.”

That calm voice echoed from above. Flan, enveloped in blue light, stood there.

Even in this empty void filled only with darkness, he remained composed.

Becky's body floated as Flan pointed his finger at her.

Her body floated, and their eye levels naturally aligned. Until that moment, Becky couldn't comprehend the situation.

One of the rocks that had been suspended in the air hit Becky's head with a thud.

“Ouch!”

In pain, she instinctively rubbed her head, reaffirming her sense of being alive. Becky squinted one eye and observed Flan's figure.

He remained resolute and calm as usual.

"Where is the impossibility for a magician?"

“Ugh, yes... ?”

[Can you hear me? Are the three of you still there? Just wait for three more minutes.]

Violet's voice started to come through again.

“Three minutes....”

Flan murmured quietly, pursing his lips.

Then suddenly, he reached into Becky’s jacket. His hand casually brushed against her chest, and a moment later, Becky’s face flushed red.

"W-What?! Hey! What are you doing?!"

"Three minutes should be enough."

Flan swiftly pulled out the Trivia from Becky's pocket. Then, he nervously flipped through the pages of the Trivia.

“Look, Becky.”

He called her name once again.

His red eyes sparkled, and his sharp appearance, enveloped in a blue aura, was quite impressive.

As Becky blankly gazed at Flan's face, a Trivia with filled spell circles unfolded before her.

The page was covered in the spell for Magic Missiles, which Becky had roughly sketched based on observing Flan's mock battles.

“This spell.”

Everything remained frozen, as if stuck together, in a blue space resembling an art canvas.

In that peculiar moment, where even time seemed imprisoned, Flan quietly parted his lips.

"...This is not how you should draw it."

--- End of The Chapter --

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