As soon as we stepped through the gate, Mammon surveyed our surroundings “We must be on the edge of the area affected by the volcanic zone. The air’s even heavier.”
I felt uncomfortable. Perhaps it was the peculiar, thick atmosphere bearing down on us.
“You don’t have to wait around for us, Mammon,” I said. “Bringing us this far is more than enough.”
Erza had ordered him to wait for us, but I wasn’t so keen on that idea. Although we were outside the danger zone, it was best to stay on the safe side.
“I appreciate the concern, but you don’t need to worry. A little trouble won’t faze me. I mean, I’m the guy who doesn’t mind getting his head ripped off. Besides, if I don’t bring you and Philia back in one piece, Erza’s gonna kill me.” With a smirk, Mammon planted himself on a nearby rock. It seemed like he really did intend to wait for us to come back.
“I never knew Mammon was so loyal, Philia,” said Mia.
Mia’s comment brought exaggerated tears to Mammon’s eyes. “What are you talking about, Little Miss Mia? Once I’ve made a promise to a beautiful woman, I’ll do whatever it takes to keep it—even if it kills me.”
While Mammon was living at my mansion, he spent his days in cat form to entertain us, and he always seemed to go along with Erza’s ridiculous demands. Perhaps his willingness to stick around wasn’t so surprising after all.
“All right, Mammon. I promise we’ll be back, so just wait there.”
“Sure. I’m on it. Take as much time as you need. We demons have way more patience than humans, after all.”
I gave him a small nod, then turned toward the volcanic zone. Explosions echoed through the air, apparently without pause.
“Once we enter the danger zone, it’s imperative that we stay focused. Keep your senses keen, from your toes to your fingertips.”
“Yeah. I know, Philia.”
We looked at each other and exchanged nods one more time, then strode toward our destination. In just a few minutes, we’d be in constant danger, so we needed to stay focused.
“It’s not like we’ll be able to chat casually in there,” said Mia, “so I’ll say this now… I’m really happy to be standing by your side, heading toward the same goal, Philia.”
“Really, Mia?”
“Not to put you on the spot, but you saved my life and you’ve always been my idol. This felt like the only way I could ever repay you.”
Mia’s admission left me rather surprised. It had never occurred to me that she saw it that way. I was fully aware that I was recklessly risking my life, but I hadn’t considered that she’d view that in a positive light.
Still, Mia would never joke about something so serious. I knew she was telling the truth.
“Philia,” she continued, “I’ll be on your side no matter what.”
“Thank you. You know, the simple knowledge that I have your support has been my salvation on countless occasions. You don’t need to repay me for anything.”
“Yeah, but after all’s said and done, I still want to stay by your side.”
Mia stretched, then turned to look my way, smiling contently.
Her smile had given hope and comfort to so many people in Girtonia—and it had saved me more times than I could count, too.
As nerve-wracking as our march into danger was, Mia’s indomitable charm filled my heart with courage.
“I don’t deserve a sister as lovely as you,” I said.
“Don’t be silly. My admiration for you will never change or fade, Philia.”
“I’m so glad you came with me.”
After responding to my sister’s kind words, I devoted my attention to the situation in front of us. We’d just stepped into the forbidden zone. From this point on, even the slightest lapse in concentration could cost us our lives.
The two of us exchanged silent nods, and then continued on our way.
✦ ✦ ✦
“This is harsher than I expected. And these thick clouds make it so dim and gloomy.”
“I get why this is a no-go zone. If it wasn’t for my magic defenses, I would’ve lost an arm by now.”
Mia and I had already been hit by an explosion. It struck me on the left leg and Mia on the right arm. The moment it hit, I sensed magic power enveloping my body and quickly conjured a small barrier for protection. As Mother had warned, creating a powerful barrier on the spur of the moment was a challenging and perilous task.
As if that wasn’t stressful enough, the entire area was shrouded in a dense layer of storm clouds that blocked out almost all sunlight. In the dim light, we constantly had to watch where we stepped.
There was one silver lining, though. I’d heard that the Moontear Flower gave off a faint light. That would make it easier to spot in the darkness.
“I can’t believe Mother made it back alive after suffering that injury,” I said. “It’s hard enough trying to concentrate when you’re not injured. With wounds as enduring as those, it must have been nearly impossible.”
“That’s true. I think she was lucky that her legs were unharmed. With any other part of the body, you can get away with using Heal as an emergency treatment.”
As we spoke, an unpleasant bang seared my eardrums. Another stream of explosions erupted around us.
I understood it now. The mana in the vicinity was extremely unstable. This must be the cause of the violent magic explosions.
Records claimed that in ancient times, when the Demon Realm and Heaven were torn apart, our world was beset by natural disasters and calamitous dimensional distortions. Perhaps the mana in this area was in disarray for the same reason.
“With mana as unbalanced as this,” I said, “we can’t risk casting ancient spells.”
“Yeah, I thought the same thing. I was hoping I’d be able to absorb mana to recover the magic energy I used to defend myself, but at this rate—”
“Indeed. Capturing unstable mana would result in even more distortion. One wrong move could trigger an explosion inside your body.”
“Argh.” My words brought a nervous smile to Mia’s face. “I didn’t realize the effects would be that nasty. I was just going to give up because unstable mana’s so hard to absorb.”
If we couldn’t use ancient rituals, our options were limited. Like Mia, I’d planned to restore my magical energy by absorbing the mana in the atmosphere, but that was impossible.
“If my calculations are correct, we should have enough magic energy to defend ourselves for a little over an hour.”
“Yeah. If we want to be efficient about it, we should split up and search for the Moontear Flower separately. What do you say we meet back here in an hour?”
“Good idea. Let’s reconvene in an hour’s time.”
With that decision made, we split up to search for the Moontear Flower.
Of course, I wasn’t conducting an aimless search. It was reasonable to assume that no flowers would bloom in an area that was constantly ravaged by explosions. This suggested that Moontear Flowers were most likely to grow in theoretical safe zones—relatively stable areas within the hazardous region. At least, that was my hypothesis.
“I should probably search from a higher spot,” I mused to myself.
Without hesitation, I scrambled up a rock to see what lay in the distance. To my disappointment, I couldn’t spot any stable areas. Explosions were erupting as far as the eye could see. It didn’t look like there were any safe zones at all.
With no way to restore my magic, I didn’t have much time to explore. And a single slip-up could result in instant death…
This was even more nerve-wracking than using divine spells.
“I still have time, but I can’t afford to waste it. I need to hurry.”
The mental pressure was more intense than I’d expected. I could feel myself starting to panic.
Stay calm. Sir Osvalt and Mia are behind you.
I closed my eyes. It took me less than a second to focus my mind and regain my composure.
But that was when disaster hit.
With a boom, the rock beneath my feet exploded, and steam spewed into the air.