Promise (3)

"Uh...?"

Elodie, upon hearing my words, froze like a stone, speechless.

Her large, lake-like eyes trembled.

Would someone call this a lie?

Because it wasn't my heart, because it wasn't Frondier but me, pretending to be Frondier, who uttered those words.

Would they call all of this fake?

"Ah, no. Ahaha. What's gotten into you all of a sudden,"

Elodie laughed awkwardly, hesitated as if to say something, then closed her mouth and lowered her head.

"What, what is it."

The young child spoke with a clumsy smile, but it was full of tears.

What is it, you fool.

With a thud.

The casual remark, as if it was nothing, resembled the Elodie I had known from the beginning, not the girl.

But with that as the start.

"Silly, hey..."

That habitual word, uttered as if it were nothing, eventually,

"Uh, uh, sob..."

Broke down the tears Elodie had been holding back.

"Sob, uh, uh, sob..."

Elodie slowly sank to the ground.

She lowered her head, covered her face with both hands, and cried silently.

...Even crying was difficult for Elodie.

As if it should never be seen, she covered her face, as if it should never be heard, she choked back her sobs, and only her small shoulders trembled.

I approached Elodie, lowered myself, and spoke to her once more.

"I'm sorry."

"Sob, sob, sob..."

"I had bad intentions."

"Don't, don't say that...!"

Elodie embraced me tightly.

"It was my fault, I was wrong, why are you, to me...!"

Elodie cried out, sobbing. The hand that held me tightly against her chest tightened.

"You did nothing wrong."

Wrong.

Hurting Frondier's heart would have been wrong.

Regardless of Elodie's good intentions, it didn't feel that way to Frondier.

But I know.

I saw through the diary and memories what Frondier was trying to do to Elodie.

Is even that evil deed Elodie's fault? Even if Elodie's boasting wasn't out of good intentions, are all of Frondier's attempts to drag Elodie down to the depths all Elodie's fault?

Should Elodie continue to suffer alone like this just because she knew Frondier's heart?

"I'm sorry."

"Fron..."

"I'm sorry. It's my fault."

That's why I say it.

The fake me says it.

"I was jealous of you, not understanding your heart."

Even if Frondier can't forgive Elodie, I forgive her.

Even if all these words I say are fake.

"But it's okay now."

Only I can comfort this girl now.

I'm the only one, you see.

"I don't hate you."

"...Fron."

"We promised."

I said.

A promise between Frondier and Elodie that I don't remember, but must be true.

"That you would protect me."

"...Fron... Fron, Fron..."

Elodie muttered my name a few times with trembling lips,

"Sob, waaah, waaaaaaah!"

And then, finally leaning fully into my arms, she cried out loud.

It wasn't just sadness that Elodie had been trying to hold back.

The tears of Elodie, who had finally begun to cry like a child, flowed for a long time.

* * *

We left the cabin.

Elodie seemed to have calmed down a bit, but she followed with her head down.

"Elodie, are you okay?"

"...I'm embarrassed."

She mumbled, burying her head further.

"This is the first time I've cried my eyes out like this since I was a baby."

How many years has it been since then?

"When is that monster coming?"

"I don't know exactly. But I have a feeling it will come."

If that monster is Elodie's trauma, then the 'feeling' Elodie mentioned is probably when her negative emotions are stimulated.

'That's for sure. That monster is the key to escaping this dream.'

It would have been nice if the trauma had been resolved through Elodie's tears and emotional release, but the human heart is not that simple.

Being comforted is one thing, but it takes time for trauma to fully heal.

Of course, this event could be seen as the beginning of that healing, but we don't have that much time to wait.

"Hey, Frondier."

"Yes?"

"Are you really going to fight too?"

"Of course."

I answered immediately. It's impossible for Elodie to overcome that monster alone. It's a monster designed that way from the start.

From what I've observed, that monster is the natural enemy of all mages. Generally, mages are wary of masters of close combat who quickly close the distance, but that's not what they truly fear.

What they truly fear is being toyed with at a distance, where they can best display their magical prowess. Because then, a mage loses their value.

'Tentacles that are destroyed by magic but render its meaning meaningless, eyes that shoot beams, limiting the mage's entire range of evasion.'

If it were a combat type, it might have been a manageable fight. It wouldn't be easy to approach, but Elodie's flight magic could still evade the tentacles to some extent.

Warriors who are more agile would try to close the distance, unlike Elodie, and it would be difficult for the eyes to attack them as well.

It takes quite some time for the eyes to glow and shoot, and an attack that converges on a wide area is not a technique that can be used on a warrior who reaches right in front of them in the meantime. It would hurt themselves.

'It's Elodie's trauma in the first place. Imagining that she can't win, of course she can't win.'

On the other hand, I can.

Because it's Elodie's trauma, I can fight that thing.

The only problem is that ultimately, Elodie has to defeat it.

'Even if I defeat it now, it will only appear again someday and torment Elodie.'

A monster born from Elodie's heart.

Unless Elodie overcomes herself, the trauma will continue to haunt her.

I fight to help Elodie.

Elodie seems to have shaken off a lot of emotions after crying her heart out, but

There is still something left.

"...It's coming."

Elodie's head lifts, and she casts her gaze into the distance.

Soon, at the end of her gaze, there it was, slowly approaching, still ridiculously large.

'...Did it get a little smaller?'

It's hard to tell unless you look closely, but it seems like it's gotten a bit smaller than last time. Maybe.

It means Elodie is overcoming her trauma to some extent.

"Ugh..."

But as soon as Elodie saw the monster, she became restless and looked back and forth between me and the monster.

...Ah, this.

"It's no use after all! Frondier, I'll put you inside the cabin right now,"

Weaving, Obsidian.

Rank - Rare

Long spear, 10 identical copies

Kwaaaaaaaaang!!

Faster than Elodie, I shot the spear and blew up the cabin. Good, it allows this level of ability now.

I had a feeling, but Elodie's overprotectiveness hasn't subsided yet.

"Fr, Frondier?!"

"Look ahead, Elodie!"

At my shout, Elodie turned her gaze back to the front.

I also looked directly at the monster and said,

"There's no such thing as a cabin!"

"...!"

"I won't let that thing keep tormenting you, leaving, and coming back again and again!"

Elodie's trauma stems from guilt. She had accepted to some extent that she couldn't defeat the monster. As if it were natural to be punished.

But since I have forgiven Elodie, there is nothing to punish her for.

"We'll defeat it here and now! So it can never come back!"

"...Yes!"

Elodie bit her lip. She slowly floated up and gathered her magic in each hand.

Phew, in the meantime, I exhaled a long breath and slowly chanted.

"Menosorpo."

A giant rune is drawn in an instant, dyeing the entire surrounding area as its own territory.

Menosorpo

Void Weaving, Simultaneous Replication

Imperial Palace Armory

Full Open

Along with that, I floated numerous weapons in the air.

'...Elodie has witnessed this much.'

Since Elodie has already seen my ability once, I can manage this much. I added the setting that I'm 'borrowing the power of the future to use this'. The current Frondier is capable of this much.

"Fron! How long can you use that?"

"I'll try my best!"

I gave Elodie a vague answer to her question. I just want to mention a very long time, but if I do that, Elodie won't believe me and it will all be for nothing, and if I say too short a time, a time limit will be set on its own. It's better to answer like this.

'I probably won't be able to weaving high-rank weapons.'

I can't use techniques that Elodie hasn't seen. Unless Elodie loses consciousness, that is. It's not like I want that anyway.

In other words, these weapons I've brought out are the maximum I can handle within this dream. With this, I can subdue most things.

The only problem is,

"It's coming!"

The monster's tentacles stretch out, and my weapons are shot towards them.

The speed wasn't too bad, but the power of the weapons cutting the tentacles is quite weak.

'Even this is according to Elodie's imagination.'

This is the problem.

Because I haven't shown Elodie the power of these weapons, the power itself is downgraded from its original level.

This is Elodie's imagination, so I wish some things would be upgraded, but Elodie was always terribly realistic. Even after becoming a child like this.

"Haaat!"

Meanwhile, Elodie unleashes flames. From the child's hands, flames, like red curtains, engulf and burn the tentacles.

It was a spectacular sight on the surface, but my brows furrowed.

'...It's weakened.'

Elodie's power has weakened. Her trauma has also weakened, but so has Elodie's power.

This is Elodie's dream. The fact that her magic, which should be according to her imagination, is weakening is not a problem of mana or technique. It's a problem of the heart.

"Haat! Hup! Ah, kyaak?!"

Thanks to that, the tentacle, which would normally have burned and collapsed, wasn't completely dead and attacked Elodie again.

I shot weapons to block the tentacles, but more tentacles rushed towards Elodie.

Normally, Elodie would have been able to deal with the remaining ones, but for some reason, she couldn't move as she wanted.

...Actually, I had somewhat predicted this scene, so.

"Ah! Frondier!"

Towards the place where Elodie was retreating and sinking to the ground, I had already arrived.

"Elodie."

I looked at Elodie and lowered my eyes.

"Stay there."

"What?"

"Do nothing and watch what I do."

I left Elodie behind me and checked the tentacles rushing toward me.

And all of that,

Kwak! Kwagwagkwak!

Obsidian blocked it.

Obsidian grabbed, blocked, and repelled the tentacles according to my will, preventing them from approaching Elodie.

"!"

Elodie was watching the scene in surprise.

Obsidian is a substance that Elodie has seen, but she has no idea of its power and purpose. But since she has seen it, she must know that it's one of my abilities.

Therefore, Obsidian's utility is higher now than Menosorpo, who has shown the ability to create weapons.

From Elodie's perspective, it's an unknown substance with unknown power, just as I knew it.

"As I said before,"

I said to Elodie, blocking the attacking tentacles one by one.

"I've become stronger, and I will continue to get stronger."

"!"

Elodie let out a slight gasp at my words.

It's not a purely happy expression. I know the reason.

'The Archmage.'

Elodie wants to become stronger. To become the Archmage.

To become the Archmage, to create a peaceful world, and to erase the stigma of "ineptitude" in Frondier.

However, now Frondier is not incompetent.

Elodie doesn't wish for Frondier to be incompetent, but it's a fact that as Frondier becomes stronger, her motivation diminishes. That's probably why Elodie's power is weak right now.

"Still."

But even if I, as Frondier, were to no longer be 'incompetent,'

"Still, I still need you."

"...Ah."

Her dream does not become worthless.

A world that will eventually perish.

If this world truly faces great disasters and hardships, it will no longer be just Frondier's or Elodie's problem.

Even if it's for Elodie to paint the scenery she desires, her power is definitely necessary.

And to that extent,

"And to that extent, you need me."

Elodie's promise to protect Frondier. Elodie, who has constantly strived to become stronger because of that promise.

None of it was wrong.

But the promise she has carried has made her too burdened.

This promise needs to be followed by a caveat.

"So, I will protect you. As long as you protect me."

"......!"

I never thought of passing all the burden to Elodie, but the same goes for the opposite.

From the beginning, that was how the relationship between Elodie and I should be.

"Unleash the most powerful magic you can. Leave the rest to me."

"......Okay."

Elodie is a mage.

She is destined to become the strongest mage in humanity.

For a mage, it's only natural to need a sword and shield to protect herself.

And I am more than enough as her sword and shield.

"Individual spell deployment."

The moment Elodie uttered those words,

I felt her voice change and the atmosphere around us shift, so I turned my gaze back to her.

Behind me stood Elodie de Inies Rishae.

She proudly sparkled her blue eyes and conjured mana that seemed to absorb the landscape of this dream.

Individual spell deployment

Fire magic, 4th form

Elemental resistance, projectile activation, diffusion, mana substitution... named 'Inferno'

Wind magic, 4th form

Increased range, disengagement trigger, high-speed rotation, updraft... named 'Tempest'

......Additional.

Lightning Magic 2nd Form

Stacking, Chain... Named, 'Chain Lightning'

Spell Fusion, Concentration

Tri-Elemental Combination

Elodie Original, 'Phoenix Rise - Nether Hell'

The magic she unfolded was contained on Elodie's index finger like small water droplets,

And the moment she lightly threw the water droplet and it touched the nearest tentacle,

Kwaaaaah-!!!

"......!"

The storm of flames she boasted about 'chained' along the tentacles.

The numerous tentacles became an even better target for spreading, and the storm engulfed all the tentacles and blazed.

The monsters, unable to escape from their own tentacles in the first place, were engulfed by the approaching storm of flames from all directions, and all eyes flashed open and burned painfully.

I stared blankly at the tremendous spectacle, then turned my gaze back to Elodie.

Elodie stood with a cool face.

Always confident, full of herself, with a face that seemed flawless in every way.

It was the 2nd year Elodie of Consteil that I originally knew,

"Ah."

I, too, stood there as my original self, not as a child.

Elodie looked at me with a faint smile for a moment, then our eyes met.

Heehee, she laughed with a somewhat mischievous face.

"Hello, Fron."

That's what she said.