“The reincarnated hero has no time to chat with you right now.”
A chill runs from my toes to the top of my head all at once.
She slowly lowers me to the ground.
Her winter-colored eyes look down at me.
I thought that if I made a wrong move in our conversation, I would die.
“Player, let’s not. You can’t win against them yet. But if you survive here, you’ll grow stronger.”
“……”
“You’ll grow stronger, and then your wishes will come true. …You understand, Player.”
White.
Hair like freshly fallen snow mixed with silk sways gently.
Her eyes, enveloped in the dark winter sky, look down at me.
“……I want you to survive. For the sake of my king’s path.”
“Oh, um……”
Who?
Just as I was about to ask.
“Hee hee hee hee. Aren’t you clever, weapons? I didn’t expect you all to cover for each other so beautifully. …Hmm, this doesn’t look good. Your skills and combat power are comparable to the Seven Swords and Seven Sages on the main stage.”
“Don’t think you can escape, Grellod. I have many things I want to ask you. About the apostles of the gods, the gods themselves, the truth of this world…”
“What do you plan to do with that information? Oh, poor pawns. Hee hee hee. I’m not going to die in a place like this. …But you know, weapons, you’ve become a bit weaker in exchange for your refinement.”
“……”
“Oh, so you’re aware? Hee hee hee, I can see into your hearts… You’re afraid… of the time when the end will come… Just like a beast that knows the warmth of the hearth can never venture outside again… Are you afraid of losing? Did a man change you? —Men have terrible taste.”
“……What a cheap provocation, but it seems to have worked properly.”
“……There’s no need for corrections. I’m no longer interested in talking to you. Let’s hear it from the corpse.”
“Hehehehe, the master, the master doesn’t have bad taste! …Huh? The master’s, badmouthing? H-Hey, take that back…!!”
A chill.
My body screams to escape from here immediately.
My heart whispers. Look.
Ah, I realize.
“Why… is everyone wearing our clothes… it’s our memories with that person, yet…”
Just a futile remark that wouldn’t reach anyone escapes my lips.
The situation starts to unfold.
“You brats. I’ll give you a lecture on magical combat. Basically, our superiority as mages is determined by the quality of our unique magic, the quantity of our magical power, and the class of our gifts.”
“I don’t intend to listen to your lecture—”
“But, you must not forget one more thing. –Close combat.”
“What!?”
Kachink!!
The sound of metal.
The clash of claws and swords.
I can’t keep up with my eyes.
Grellod, who should be an old woman, leaps at the knight with white hair at an unbelievable speed.
“This is a lesson, little chicks. I’ll show you the essence of magical manipulation.”
“That’s……”
A clash between sword and bare hands.
“Magical combat isn’t something that just any genius or monster can always win, little chicks.”
“—White! Envelop yourself in magical power!! Defend!!”
The red-haired woman, dressed in †nana†’s combat outfit, shouts.
“Ether Shift Magical Transformation!”
“Ugh!”
Black light erupts.
A brilliance that feels like it could scorch my eyes.
The pinnacle of magical combat techniques; I’ve heard of it in lectures.
The manipulation of magical power, perfected, frees life from the concept of time.
It’s transmitted as a secret method in some faiths, transforming into a form that surpasses one’s prime through magical power.
“It’s been a while since I’ve taken this form.”
A beautiful figure cloaked in raven feathers.
The old woman who should have been there is nowhere to be found.
The wrinkles, like the rings of a great tree, disappear, revealing skin as luminous as moonlight.
That voice is…
Haguraven.
I know of her as knowledge.
Mages who live for a long time undergo transformation.
They become dragons, monsters, witches—existences that surpass humanity.
Grellod is a mage of that stage.
A beautiful woman with black hair, wrapped in feathers, smiles slyly.
“Uh.”
The expressions of the women in black change.
They seem to have realized too.
“Let’s see your skills…”
“Tsk.”
Grellod is a threat that’s spoken of in legends.
Gyariririririririririririririri!!
It sounds as if metal is screaming.
The witch’s sharp claws deflect the swords of the women in black.
“Ahahahaha! What’s wrong? What’s wrong? Domination, war, famine! This isn’t like you at all! No, no! You’re on this side, right!”
The witch’s attacks, turning into a black storm.
They can only defend against it.
