Chapter 282

[Side story] Chasing a butterfly (9)

Lucy. I have something to say.

I guess I’m going to die soon.

I have struggled to somehow survive in this unreasonable world, but my journey seems to end here.

It is much more likely that I will no longer be here by the time you come to your senses.

So, I think this will be my last words to you.

I understand how you feel. You may have already experienced the pain of loss, but you also know that the pain is not something you can adapt to.

So the first thing I want to say to you right now is that I’m sorry.

But I don’t want to fill my last words to you with meaningless apologies.

Survive. Lucy.

No matter how the world goes, hold on tight to your life.

Even though it seems like the cold winter will never end, spring will definitely come.

Even if the world seems to be sinking into darkness forever, morning will always come.

There is no such thing as an ‘ending’ in a real story.

Even if it seems like everything ends happily, even if it seems like everything ends in tragedy.

Still, reality continues. Life spreads out. That’s the answer I’ve gotten in my short life.

The countless choices I have made while running frantically to survive in this unreasonable world.

If I had made different choices in some of them, there might have been a different ending.

Somewhere in the flow of a distant world, there could be me who overcame all the trials and achieved a happy ending.

Or, he could have met an even more terrible end and burned to death in agony.

No matter what it is, the attitude we must take to survive in this unreasonable world does not change. It’s about surviving.

you will be sad

Still, never give up on life.

Clench your teeth and survive. Even if it seems like there are no more answers in this hellish world, even if it seems meaningless, even if it’s just blindly... survive.

Even now, as I face death, I believe without wavering.

If you hold on and hold on like that, there will inevitably come a moment when you think that it was a good thing you stayed alive.

So make sure you survive.

*”Help me. “I need your help.”

Lortel’s next words were direct. I was able to fully guess what Lortel would say.

“Did you see the expressions on the faces of the refugees sitting here as you came in? “At the point when Lucy’s survival was confirmed... they had new hope.”

“....”

“It is said that you borrowed the power of the Phoenix Ring, but if you were the one who was able to take the time against the Holy Lance Dragon Velbroke... you might be able to somehow subdue and persuade senior Yenika.”

Lucy was not a being subordinate to this world to begin with. However, there is no way the survivors outside would even know that fact.

“...I haven’t lost all of the ring’s bounce yet.”

“...”

“It goes without saying that all of the magical power from its prime hasn’t returned, and I’m not even sure how much strength it can exert against the high-ranking elementalist who holds Velbroke’s heart in the first place.”

Lucy lowered her head and spoke the reality.

“More than anything, my primary goal is to return to the world I came from.”

It was a difficult story to tell. However, it is an issue that cannot be ignored.

Lortel from this world and Lucy from the other world.

The interests of the two do not coincide.

Lortel tries to overpower Yenika and leave the island, but Lucy struggles to somehow return to the original world.

There is no contact between the two.

“...”

“...”

There was an awkward silence.

From the beginning, Lucy and Lortel were not on good terms. There was almost no point of contact with each other.

Still, Lortel spoke quietly.

“...You know, Lucy.”

This is what Lortel wanted to ask Lucy, who had been looking at a world of other possibilities.

“If it were simply to release the magic bound up inside... it would be possible...”

– Squeak

“It would be possible. “There is just a small problem.”

At that moment, the door to the reception room opened and someone came in. It was Elvira, who had just been organizing the situation outside.

“The whole area will be in chaos as the unleashed magical energy spurts out. “You won’t be able to properly absorb that magic power.”

Now that I look at it, I think I’m a little taller. Elvira dusted off her alchemy bag and brought Clevius in.

She is a girl with excellent knowledge of alchemy and magical engineering supplies. Lucy immediately realized what she had taken out of her arms and sat down on the reception sofa.

Clevius followed behind him, closed the door, and stood behind Elvira. Even at first glance, it looked like he had something to say.

Clevius slowly opened his mouth in a dark voice. The impression was that Lucy had become more reliable than she had known.

“Lortel. The situation outside is unusual. The spirits will run rampant even more. “I think the spirits became sensitive because they were discovered while searching outside.”

“...What about the survivors?”

“He gets angry when he sees Lucy’s face, but he seems more anxious because of the situation outside.”

It feels like I have almost abandoned my cowardly nature. Given the situation, it was probably unavoidable.

As I was watching the two of them, it seemed like I heard the entire conversation Lortel and Lucy were having from earlier. I didn’t bother to ask Lortel and Lucy anything.

However, Elvira only speaks quietly.

“I think...Lucy, our interests aren’t that different.”

Lucy kept her mouth shut and looked towards Elvira.

“I don’t know exactly what that thing you’re holding in your hand is, but you want to unleash the magic inside you, right?”

“...”

“If you properly draw out the magic power inside you right away without any processing, the magic power that will be scattered will be much more than the magic power you actually use.”

The way it is used is no different from that of a cheap magic stone. It appears that expensive precious metal crafts are being used as hammers.

However, the situation is the situation. There is no time to think about the difference.

“For a product of that high quality... you need an intermediary device that can fully bring out the magic inside. Of course, it would be impossible to create such an intermediary device in this environment, but...”

Elvira has excellent knowledge in the field of magic applications. Even while attending Sylvania Academy, he was a student who always achieved high grades in related assignments.

Lucy could easily guess the conclusion she would draw.

“...Do you remember the freshman placement test? When senior Ed stopped the freshmen at the top of Mt.

“...”

At that time, Lucy was also watching Ed from the top of the mountain.

The ‘Altar of Change’ at the top of Mt. Orn.

It was an altar with the power to draw out the magical power inside magical items and transfer it to the user.

Ed, who was unable to use magical power due to the recoil caused by Glast’s Phoenix Ring, brought a lot of magic stones and used the Altar of Replacement to deal with the new students.

“...With the power of that altar, you will be able to fully utilize the magic inherent in the bead you are holding. “If there is a problem...”

There is someone guarding the altar.

This is a girl shedding tears endlessly at the top of the mountain.

A spiritist who was swallowed up by that madness and wanted to erase all living things on Aken Island and use it only as a tomb and sanctuary for the boy.

For a moment, silence spread throughout the reception room.

It felt like everyone was watching Lucy. There is no guarantee that everything will go well just because Lucy joins right away, but Lucy’s military power will be a great help to the survivors.

“...If it’s necessary, you should do it.”

And, as always, Lucy doesn’t give much thought to her decision.

*It’s not even winter, but it’s snowing.

If you look closely, the snowflakes falling from the dark night sky are actually volcanic ash.

At the top of the right mountain, in front of Belbroke’s still beating heart... The girl lowered her head, clutching Ed’s staff tightly. The girl’s tears had not stopped yet.

Volcanoes that erupted from the body of the highest-ranking fire spirit Theorpis. The volcanic ash flying from its body covered the entire Orn Mountain area for several years, eventually turning it into a pure white snow mountain.

Even the tall coniferous trees and laid grass are dyed pure white, making it look like a tranquil sanctuary. This island is where Ed Ross Taylor sleeps.

Under the soft moonlight, the pure white-haired spirit priest raises his head with tears in his eyes as he calmly descends and settles among the volcanic ash. The sight of the sorrow-stained face being covered with volcanic ash looks like an angel covered in feathers.

However, the one sitting there in sorrow is not an angel, but a devil.

He is a crazy undertaker who wants to wipe out all visible life and stop time on this island forever.

“...There is still life. Life that disturbs the rest of the departed.”

The eyes of the spirits that spread across the island are the eyes of the girl.

What that meant was clear.