It was a cold day.

Just like it usually was.

Ellnor was a city located high above sea level. The cold weather was something that Aurelia was used to by now.

"Here, wear this. It's getting cold."

She had a younger brother.

He was about to turn ten in just a few months. Aurelia herself was only fourteen, but she was talented in the field of magic.

It was her talent that allowed for her and her brother to survive in the treacherous conditions.

The two of them had no parents. They had died in an accident a few years prior. It was up to the then twelve-year-old Aurelia to take care of her younger brother.

"We've noticed a suspicious mana wave quite far from the town. We're thinking of creating a small squad to check the situation out. Aurelia, you're a mage. What do you say? Will you go? The pay will be good."

"Me?"

"Haha, yes. There's no need to worry about your safety. You may be weak now, but the people you will go with are strong. Very strong. They are just missing a talented mage. I'm sure you'll be able to help."

"....I'll go."

There was no hesitation in her answer.

Aurelia accepted the deal without a shred of hesitation.

"Hahaha, is this the young girl that will be joining us?"

"Welcome!"

"Wow! You're about the same age as my daughter. I wish she was as talented as you."

The group consisted of four members: a mage, a tank named Grock, a beautiful elder sister who acted as support, and a charismatic young man serving as the damage dealer.

Everyone was older than her but they welcomed her in warmly.

"There's no need to be shy."

"We won't bite. Well, Gork might. Hahaha."

"Oy!"

Aurelia felt a warmth that she had only felt with her brother.

It was as if she had found her second family.

The day for her departure eventually came, and a little boy stood near the gate of the town.

"Good luck!"

"....May you come back safe!"

"Come back to us quickly!"

Surrounding them were the citizens of the town, bidding them good luck and throwing flowers at them.

Amidst the cheers, Aurelia faced her crying brother.

"Hic... hic... S-siter."

"I'll be coming back soon."

She caressed his head.

"It's a promise. Keep this for me."

She handed him her pocket watch.

It was one of the last things that she had to remember their parents. Aurelia thought it'd be a great idea to give it to him.

"See this?"

Aurelia pointed at the watch.

"Make sure you keep track of the time, alright? Once I get back, I'll let you scold me for being late, alright?"

"....O-okay."

The young child quietly muttered while lowering his head and grasping onto the watch with both hands.

"Good."

Aurelia stood up satisfied, and turned around.

There, three figures stood, they stood smiling while staring at her.

"Are you coming?"

Gork said while crossing his arms. He looked like the older uncle she never had.

"He looks just like you. Come on! Let's do this quickly so that we can all come back to this quickly!"

"Haha, yes."

Ruffling her brother's head once more, Aurelia returned their smiles.

"Let's go."

Their journey began then.

An adventure that Aurelia was going to enjoy until the very end.

Would they come back?

Yes.

Aurelia was sure of it.

.

.

.

"How do you even kill this thing...?"

I walked around the enormous boulder. It was huge. About the same height as the city walls.

A purple film covered its outline, allowing me to perfectly see the head of the dragon. It looked just as one would expect.

"Its strength is reduced quite a lot over the years."

A voice entered my head

I turned to see the necromancer, no, Aurelia standing next to it. Her voice was clear now. I could hear it perfectly.

It sounded sweet.

".....It was very powerful."

Three hooded figures appeared behind her.

Their frames looked familiar.

"We were able to suppress it until now. But that is our limit. We don't have the power to kill it."

"I see."

I looked at the rock dragon once again.

It wasn't noticeable before, but now that I took a good look at it, I could see its frame gently moving up.

Quite clearly, it was still alive.

"How do you kill it then?"

Was it simply not possible?

Or was there a means to do it?

"..."

Aurelia remained silent.

Then, turning her head, she looked at the three other people beside her. They turned to look at each other until Aurelia shook her head.

"Cannot kill."

"...Hmm."

I contemplated deeply.

'So it can't be killed. That probably means that it's too strong for them to kill it. But just how strong is it?'

Looking at the creature, I didn't feel a thing.

The purple film was doing a good job of suppressing it.

"Why did you not report this to the village?"

"....I cannot."

"Is it because you need to contain it?"

"Yes."

Aurelia nodded slightly.

"I see."

So she couldn't leave the area.

The situation was starting to become clear to me. Or, at least, some parts of it. There were still several things that didn't make sense.

However, now was not the time to dwell on them.

"If you were to leave now, how long would it take for the Dragon to awaken?"

"....Eight hours."

"Ah."

That was hardly any time.

Especially when it took days to get to the town.

"That's too little."

If there was one thing that I was sure about, it was that the Empire was soon going to send some reinforcements.

With the proper information about the necromancer, they were sure to send several powerful figures.

However...

I turned to look at the Rock Dragon.

"They'll all die."

Me included.

The moment Aurelia died, the Earth Dragon would awaken. And not only that but there was also a Terror Rank creature lurking outside.

I needed to find a way to get this information to them before it was too late.

There was only one problem.

"How can I get the information to them?"

It wasn't as though I had a communication device with me.

At the same time, it was also impossible for me to return. Who knew when the wolves might show up to assault me?

I wouldn't have been scared if the Professor was still with me.

However, considering that Aurelia could only cover a certain area, I knew that there was a chance of me dying if I were to step out of her zone.

The reality of my situation sank in.

"....I'm stuck."

And I had done this to myself.

'Do I just wait for the reinforcements to arrive so that I can tell them...?'

But for how long would I have to wait for that to happen?

"..."

I stood in silence for a moment before shifting my attention to the purple film that was covering the Rock Dragon.

An idea suddenly crossed my mind.

"That..."

I looked towards Aurelia.

"If I were to cast the same spell as you have. Is it possible for me to delay the awakening of the Dragon?"

".....?"

Waving my hand in the air and feeling the [Curse] element in the air, I showed her my hand. A magic circle started to form.

Tzzz

It shattered immediately after.

However, that didn't matter. I just wanted to show her that I could do it.

I had seen it in her memories.

"How long do you think we can delay the Rock Dragon's awakening?"

*

The concept was simple. Although I was nowhere near as strong as Aurelia was, if I were to cast a similar spell on the Rock Dragon, then it would be possible for me to prolong the time that it stayed dormant.

That way, I would be able to return and relay the information to the Empire which would immediately send adequate reinforcements.

At the very least, before things became too complicated.

Once the Rock Dragon woke up from its slumber, it would without a doubt attack the nearest town, Ellnor.

Success or failure really depended on how things would play out from this point on.

I faced Aurelia.

"Do you think it's possible?"

"...."

She remained still, staring at me from behind the cloak.

"How...?"

I could tell that she was taken aback by the fact that I could perform the same spell as her.

But that wasn't really it.

I had yet to learn the spell. It would take me some time for me to fully learn it. And even then, would my strength be good enough to help at all?

Aurelia wasn't originally this strong.

The ones who had put the beast to slumber were her comrades.

Thirty years had passed since then. Having spent so much time in this [Curse] filled area, she had grown powerful enough to keep the Rock Dragon dormant with her magic.

In a way, she had probably mastered [Curse] magic.

Would I be able to prolong the Rock Dragon's dormancy if I learned the spell?

No, I can.

I looked around me.

The environment was perfect. With the [Curse] element dominating the space, I knew that even if my proficiency over the spell was going to be weak, it would be boosted by the environment that I was in.

And not only that.

I once again stared at Necromancer. No, Aurelia.

"..."

She was still looking at me, demanding a sort of explanation for what I did.

I could understand her confusion but now was not the time.

Extending my hand, a magic circle floated. It wasn't the spell that she had shown before, but rather, another one.

[Hands of Malady]

The experience bar was currently at 55%.

It was just 45% experience from reaching the next level.

In hindsight, there was no need for me to learn that spell. Setting the fact that it was a spell too complicated for the current me to learn, most curse magic had similar principles.

To weaken.

'If I am to use Hands of Malady on the Rock Dragon and manage to weaken it, I might be able to increase the time it takes for it to awaken.'

I knew that it didn't really make sense considering my strength.

But what if I were to use the environment to my advantage and advance the spell to the next level?

What would happen then?

".....It's worth a try."

Insanity.

I was being totally insane for even thinking about it.

But it was the only thing that I could do.

"Huuu."

Therefore, taking a deep breath, I stared at Aurelia and the three cloaked figures behind her.

Despite having seen her memories, they stopped after a certain point. The current her was a lot more powerful than the past her.

I didn't know if she was going to accept me or if I was going to succeed.

But it was worth asking.

"Soldiers from the Empire will soon come to get rid of you. When that happens, the Rock Dragon will awaken and everyone will die. Most probably, the citizens of Ellnor as well. I want to stop that, so..."

We had the same goal after all.

"Please teach me everything that you know."

"....."

Let me reach the next level.