Chapter 40

“Don’t remind me. The things I’ve seen make the Sea of Negativity look like a playground.” Shizuku hadn’t asked what exactly Niké had been through after Lars captured him for being “a bad guy who causes nothing but mischief.” She didn’t want to—and it didn’t seem like he wanted to open up about his experiences, either. She gazed sympathetically at his face, which looked a little haggard. “Why don’t you take a break once things settle down?” she suggested. “I’m planning to. I’ll take some time off to visit my mentor.” “I didn’t know you had a mentor!” “Well, we haven’t seen each other for years,” he admitted. His voice sounded lighter than before, but Shizuku might have been imagining it. He gazed at her with a cynical look in his eyes. “I was hoping to quit if Faneet was still around…but whatever. I’ll take it easy and start things over again.” “…Yeah.” Some people were changing, while others were leaving. The memories people carried with them in their minds were the only constants. Shizuku knew and understood that. Everybody does; that’s why time is so precious to people. Niké looked over the short woman’s head, glancing at the man who was waiting for her in the center of the hall. Erik’s blue ear adornment caught his attention. “Isn’t it cheating, having that thing?” “What do you mean? The way he’s borrowing Leuticia’s magical powers?” Apparently, Erik had had an altercation with Niké inside the fortress, but there’d been no real winner. Niké appeared to have reservations about the magical energy Erik was able to harness from elsewhere. Erik had developed exceptional spell configuration skills to compensate for his innate lack of magical power. If he were more powerful, he’d be far better than most mages. When Shizuku heard that Erik was the one who’d overwritten the barrier of the fortress, she felt sorry for everyone involved. Niké’s reply, however, was unexpected. “Magic that lets you harness other people’s powers is powerful, but hardly anyone uses it. Do you know why that is?” “Huh? I-is it because they have no one to borrow from?” “You’re so dumb.” “Hey, don’t be so mean! How would I know that? I’m not a mage!” It didn’t matter whether something was common sense in the field of magic; as an outsider, Shizuku wouldn’t know about it. Shizuku’s shouting brought a mystified look to Erik’s face. Niké slowly reached out and tugged hard on her ear. “Ouch!” she exclaimed. “If you want to be equipped with those kinds of magic implements, you have to endure an operation so agonizing that it’d make grown adults run out screaming. That’s why nobody actually uses them.” “…Huh?” “You’re an idiot, though, so I doubt you’d know that unless someone spelled it out for you.” What Niké was saying didn’t ring any bells. Shizuku had just heard that the procedure was a hassle. She gazed at Erik in astonishment, struggling to process her feelings. When Erik noticed her looking at him, he turned toward Shizuku and Niké. When Niké met Erik’s gaze, he narrowed his eyes. “Niké?” said Shizuku. “Well, I’d better get going. I have work to do.” “Oh, take care of yourself. Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.” “Don’t come back again, you stupid woman.” Just as Shizuku was about to complain about this substandard farewell, Niké abruptly grabbed her by the chin. The man’s face drew closer. She didn’t close her eyes. After all, she hadn’t known what was going to happen. “See ya.” With a casual wave of the hand, Niké turned on his heel and started climbing the staircase. Once the man had vanished onto the upper floor, Erik called out to Shizuku. She wasn’t moving a muscle. “We should get going. You sure you haven’t forgotten anything?” “Ah…” “Ah?” “Aaaaah, I want the ground to swallow me up!” Shizuku yelled, holding her red face in her hands. The king was holding his paint pot above his head, looking down at Ortea as she tried to jump for it. Having heard Shizuku’s scream from the corner of the room, he cocked his head in an exaggerated manner. “Hey, did you hear that? Shizuku’s asking to be buried in the ground!” “Don’t be ridiculous!” On one side stood the king, cursed with a personality that was never going to change. On the other side stood Shizuku, agonized by her own embarrassment. Erik, standing right in the middle of the pair, silently picked up Shizuku’s bag and began opening up a transit gate. That chapter in their story ended just as chaotically as it had begun. Still, it had been peaceful in its own way, which was kind of okay.