NABC Chapter 32
Chapter 32
[What are you doing, Louie?]
I’m studying magic.
[Hmm... Using whose mana?]
Obviously, I’m using Master’s mana... Oof.
[I told you not to rely on my mana. If you keep depending on it, how will you manage when you have to become independent?]
Maybe I just won’t become independent... Hehe.
[Don’t say such nonsense. This place is too harsh for you to live in forever. You’ll need to leave it someday.]
...
[Until then, let’s find a way to compensate for your naturally low mana.]
Yes, Master.
...
I recalled a conversation I once had with my master. She found me in the middle of a snowstorm, exhausted and barely conscious, and brought me to her home.
I asked her to teach me magic, but she refused. That’s because my body, by nature, had an insufficient amount of mana, far too little to use magic.
But I pestered her, and in the end, I became her student.@@@@
...
[Louie, what’s that look on your face today? Ugh, you look filthy.]
Mmph, pffft. I’ve been trying to solve the task you gave me, Master.
[That book... wasn’t it locked away in the vault?]
I stole it, of course. Ouch!
[You rascal. So, what did you need that book for?]
I was researching the different types of mana. If there are multiple kinds of mana, maybe there’s one I can absorb.
[Hmm, an interesting hypothesis. So, what have you read so far?]
Here, I’ve gotten to moon mana, after reading about elemental mana.
[Moon mana is typically something witches have, so it won’t be easy for you to accept. And you don’t know how to absorb it, either.]
But maybe I could be a witch.
[...You’ve got the face for a girl, not a witch.]
Just wait and see.
[Alright.]
...
Master helped me with my desire to learn magic, and in the end, we discovered a kind of mana I could handle.
Star mana.
It was a mana that came from the depths of the cosmos, perhaps the purest form of mana.
Even though I couldn’t hold vast amounts of star mana in my body, it showed potential.
...
[Louie, star mana is extremely rare.]
More so than moon or sun mana?
[Yes. Most of it dissipates high in the sky. Only a small fraction reaches the ground.]
Hmm... then what if we gathered mana from the sky?
[Huh?]
We could use the star mana on the ground to send a magical tool into the sky, and then use it to collect the mana up there.
[That’s... something I’ve never thought of before.]
Of course not. I got the idea from satellites.
[Satellites...? Anyway, if you’re going to attempt this, there’s one thing to keep in mind: you won’t be able to use ordinary magic.]
Ordinary magic?
[Yes, the kind of magic most battle mages use. Pure water, for example, can’t nourish plants—it’s too refined.]
‘We did it.’
Honestly, I hadn’t wanted to use the Star-spear’s attack function. Passing out from mana exhaustion was bad enough, but it also meant I wouldn’t be able to use magic properly until I had sufficiently recovered.
But I had to use it this time, all because of something that wasn’t in the original story.
‘I didn’t know the Twilight Fortress wasn’t the end.’
In the original, Baal, unable to accept death, had turned the entire area into a lake of blood. But this time, instead of a desperate last stand, he had spent his time summoning other fortresses from the demon realm.
‘So that’s why the second bloodline didn’t show up.’
My head felt muddled, so I decided to stop thinking for a while.
In the end, we won.
‘And with the fortresses gone, the enemy must have taken a massive blow.’
In the latter part of the story, when the hero’s party ventured into the demon realm, vampires appeared in both the Demon King’s assault on this world and the final battle.
But now, we could assume they were gone for good.
It was all thanks to the hero's party trusting me.
Rustle.
I leaned in and ran my left hand through the hero’s hair. Was it naturally curly, or did it only seem that way now?
His soft hair brushed against my hand, tickling my fingers.
Outside the window, I could hear the sounds of the household staff, but the room itself was silent. The only ones in the room were the hero and me.
I quietly stared at the sleeping hero.
Thump.
“...?”
Was one of the side effects of mana depletion an irregular heartbeat?
Hmm, I don’t recall seeing anything about that in my research.
In that case, this must be a new symptom, one worth reporting to the magical community.
Thump.
Thinking of the new recognition I might receive made my heart race again.
‘Sorry to the others, but...’
Since we destroyed the entire fortress, I think I’m allowed to be a little selfish.
I looked at the hero once more, and a few minutes later, he woke up.
“Mm... Louie...?”
“Yes, Hero.”
“...Huh? You’re awake? Are you alright?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“Oh, good. Um, if you need any help or anything, just let me know. And...”
His gaze shifted downward. He noticed our hands and quickly tried to pull his away.
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t even realize...”
“Hero.”
But I grabbed his hand in return and looked him in the eyes.
“Thank you.”
“...What?”
“For trusting me. And for saving me.”
“...”
“I know it’s a little late to say it, but... thank you for accepting me into the hero’s party.”
For the first time, I expressed the gratitude I hadn’t realized I was holding in. And the reason I was saying it now? Nothing special.
I just felt like this was the only chance I would have, after such a big battle, while my emotions were still raw.
“...I should be the one thanking you.”
The hero, too, spoke earnestly, meeting my eyes. I smiled at him lightly.