Dark and moist. Eliza felt the serpent's throat constrict around her, trying to force her down into its body. An attempt to consume her and obtain her energy for its own use.
She had become too complacent. Because her pursuers had yet to make a move in the past few days, she had thought they had given up. But it seemed that they had yet to do so.
Hiring a spatial magician to suppress the dungeon's natural dimension field and even placing a Braveheart ranked Sapphire Serpent to lie in wait... they were truly pulling out all their resources in an attempt to end her life.
But, they underestimated her.
Or rather, they had not expected her strength to grow even more in the time since she left the organization.
Eliza narrowed her eyes, and the world revealed its flaws to her.
-Mystical Eyes. A trait rare even among Demons, and the only saving grace in her life that allowed her to live to the current day. One that should have been sealed away, but was somehow reawakened by Gray, and at a level even higher than what it once was.
Before, all she could see were weakpoints. Where resistance was the least, the lines of motion that would allow her to most effective usage of her body and attacks. Though effective, it was nothing more than what Anima tribesman did by sensing the ways of the world or how magicians could predict the future by instantly analyzing information through sigils.
But now...
Eliza reached out her hand, channeling energy towards the 'cracks' visible even within the darkness. An action that took no time at all, and one seemingly meaningless.
The dragon remained unaware, swimming deeper into the depths of the lake.
In the darkness, Eliza lost track of time. Because of that, she knew she couldn't dally.
Grasping ahold of the flaws she perceived, Eliza wrenched her hand back.
With that action, the dragon was torn apart.
There was no roar of pain. The dragon was instantly slain by Eliza's sudden attack, dying without even knowing why it did.
However, there was a roar of water. The dragon had moved quickly, and both it and Eliza were already near the bottom of the lake when she acted.
While Eliza's action had created a gap of air due to displacing the water around her, it quickly surged back.
Deep underwater, pitch black with an ominous wall of water closing in on you from every direction. An ordinary person would have only been able to watch, dying without a hope of despair.
But Eliza was far from ordinary.
Instead of bothering with the approaching water, she actually rushed up to meet it.
Gray should be concerned right now. I have to get back.
Such a scene playing out in front of him... Eliza knew how that might have been taken.
So, to assure him, to not cause him to panic and run off, she had to make it back to the surface.
The water closed in on Eliza and wrapped around her. But instead of crushing her, it seemed to part before her. The reason for that would be Eliza's aura, rejecting all external forces.
A feat that could only be done by those on the cusp of the Braveheart level, only a step away from reaching the Almighty.
Although a lot had happened, barely any time had passed. At most, a few breaths worth of time. Yet, when she returned to the bridge-
"Gray?"
-The one she devoted everything to was nowhere to be seen.
Instead...
"Number one. You have been sentenced to death by Hel for escaping your bonds."
A cool voice greeted her.
Eliza narrowed her eyes.
A man with silver hair. Attractive by any common standard and possessing crimson eyes. He was standing at the far end of the bridge, dressed in black form-fitting armor with crimson lines running across it. In his right hand, he held a broadsword of pure crimson that shifted with every passing moment.
“What have you done with Gray?"
The man didn't answer. Instead, he lowered his body into a crouch and raised his sword.
"...Hmph. Seems like it was pointless to ask a tool like yourself. Very well."
A billowing wind emerged in the still cavern. In the center of it was Eliza, her normally serene expression nowhere to be seen. Instead, there was a cruel smile coupled with crimson eyes glowing with murderous intent.
"I will tear my answers out from your soul."
With those words, space itself cracked and Eliza appeared in front of the man in an instant, her hand in a fist thrust towards the man's heart.
An action far faster than the human eye was capable of perceiving, and one enough to have the displaced air become lethal. By connecting, the man would have surely been blown away, with nothing left.
A sure-kill technique, one that Eliza had honed over countless years and deaths.
-However, the man would not die so easily.
The crimson lines around the man's armor flared and he stepped to the side. He wasn't faster than Eliza, but it was enough to cause her blow to strike the edge of his torso rather than his heart.
The force behind her blow sent the man spinning. It should have sent him flying through the air, spiralling in an uncontrolled trajectory. However, his armor only glowed brighter, and the force that should have sent him flying was diverted, sent away in a burst of light.
Eliza's eyes widened as the man’s crimson broadsword swung across at blinding speed, seeking her neck.
A sense of danger, one she had not felt in a long time. Eliza leapt back at full speed, not daring to be a moment slower. Even so, she could not avoid the blow entirely, the crimson sword grazing her chest.
It should have been a light wound, but-
"Kuh... this...?"
In an instant, her body became heavy and it became hard for her to breathe. "Lifetaker...?"
-Lifetaker. A Divine Artifact that could be considered the Organization… Hel’s secret weapon. A blade that had been found in a cavern deep underground and guarded by a bloodsucking beast, obtained at the cost of thousands of Champion-level agents. It was the Founder's personal blade, one that made the wielder invincible on the field of battle.
Against humans, elves, or the Anima, it allowed the wielder infinite stamina and regeneration by draining away at the life-force of the opponent. But against demons...
Eliza clutched at the wound on her chest that wouldn't heal with her right hand and narrowed her eyes.
-Impossible. There was no way that the Founder would have given his personal blade out just to kill her. But there was no denying the effect of the sword that man was wielding.
For her to have not realized it, however... Eliza turned her eyes once more to the armor the man was wearing.
It was strange. She had never seen that type of armor before, and considering her position in Hel, for her to not know of it meant that it must be something new. And for it to obscure everything from her eyes, not allowing her to see its weaknesses, even hiding the Lifetaker from her eyes, she couldn't help but ask.
"That sword and that armor... to give both to a pawn like yourself in order to kill me... is it not too much? Even if the Founder himself wants me dead, there should be no need to mobilize so many resources."
-Right. Eliza was a part of Hel and could even be considered an integral part of its combat forces. Having her free was detrimental to the Organization, but not anything that would require this much effort.
Suppressing the space of a dungeon, capturing a Sapphire Sea serpent, sending a Braveheart level combatant armed with Lifetaker and an armor that could either disrupt abilities or conceal the user's equipment from view... it was too much to silence someone like her.
The man paused, contemplating Eliza's words. "You are correct. However, it is necessary to ensure the retrieval of the Divine Artifact."
"Divine Artifact?"
The man shook his head. "...I have said too much. Consider this my repayment out of respect for your accolades." The man raised his sword once more, causing his armor to clank. "...Your time is at an end. Accept your retirement in peace."
Crimson swirled from around the sword and the man's armor. The beginnings of an attack that could threaten even the Exalted Almighty.
"...No. I cannot fall here."
Gray needed her. He who had recklessly saved her, who was stranged far from his home, who was still weaker than even an infant baby of the Demon race...
I did not want to use this, but... it seems I have no choice.
Eliza let out a sigh and then straightened. At the same time, she held out her right hand, dripping with blood from her wound.
The man lashed out with his sword, causing a flood of crimson light to crash towards Eliza.
Faced with the light that could devour anything below the Almighty level, Eliza said a single word.
"Pierce."
----------------------------------------
When Gray finished laughing, he realized his surroundings had changed.
It was dark. Dark enough that he could barely see his own body, let alone the surrounding area. Despite that, he wasn't scared.
Being scared would require him being able to think in the first place, being able to worry about his surroundings.
Gray was not scared.
Perhaps it was the stress of suddenly being transported to another world finally breaking through.
Perhaps it was his maddening inability to vocalize anything about his life before arriving here.
Or perhaps it was the crippling realization that his overreliance on Eliza had caused her to sacrifice herself for his safety.
Laughter echoed in the darkness, and a sword was drawn.
He couldn't see anything, but that was fine.
His laughter reverberated around him, and beneath his laughter he heard other sounds. Shifting scales, clattering bones, soft slithering of viscous flesh. Monsters surrounded him, no doubt all on a level far beyond him.
Even so, he laughed.
Monsters? So what? The worst they could do was kill him.
Dying? So what? All it would do was put an end to his farce of a life.
He laughed, even as something lashed out at him from within the darkness. He continued laughing as an open maw filled with glistening white fangs flew towards his head.
-But before it clamped around his head, Gray's body moved on its own. The experience he had obtained from life and death battles caused his body to react instinctively, even without his thoughts.
He felt a slight resistance in his right hand as his sword severed the attacking monster in half.
Curious, Gray stopped laughing and gazed at his right hand.
Moving without thinking. He didn't care anymore, so why did his body move on its own?
A clattering from behind him. The sound of armor clanging against bones. There was the sound of steel cutting the air, slashing towards his exposed back.
Gray gave no thought towards it. Dodging, parrying, allowing it to connect... he couldn't be bothered to react. Yet his body moved on its own, instincts taking over for him.
He spun on his heel, his sword somehow lashing out in the darkness to parry an unseen blade.
Sparks emerged from the clash, and for a brief moment Gray could see the room illuminated.
He was in a small cavern, about the size of a master bedroom. The floor and walls were moss-covered stone, damp with moisture from some unknown source. And all around him were monsters, dozens of them from various kinds and species.
Lizardmen armed with bone pikes and leather armor. Blue slimes with a metallic sheen. Skeletons in rusted iron armor and armed with pitted longswords. Smaller versions of the same dragon that had devoured Eliza.
It was a monster den. One with only smooth rock in every direction, no way out.
Realizing that, he laughed again.
It was a typical setup in games. A sudden teleportation to a room with monsters beyond the player's ability to beat. A gameover scenario.
Laughable, his luck. First getting transported to a different world, then meeting someone kind enough to help him try and get back home only to cause her death in saving him from his own stupidity, and now this.
-Give up.
He was tired of all this. Tired of everything.
In fact, he had been tired even before he arrived in this world.
Mindlessly attending classes, striving for a vague goal, fulfilling obligations.
He had told Eliza he had to return home, convinced himself that he had to return... but the truth was he didn't care.
Right. He was moving on sheer momentum. The real reason why he wanted to get back wasn't because he had to fulfill his obligations or because he had a burning desire... but simply because he was uncomfortable.
He had grown accustomed to it. A life with no meaning, moving on sheer momentum... his life matched his name: Gray.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
And in the end, it was pointless. Even if he returned, there would be no point.
Go home, graduate, get a six-figure job, and then what? Repay his debts? Make his parents proud?
Meaningless platitudes and accolades.
Those had never mattered to him. In fact, nothing mattered to him anymore. Nothing had for a long time.
So, he should just give up here.
His life should close its final chapter then and there, a pathetic end to a pathetic man who wanted nothing, achieved nothing, and would die for nothing.
Gray lowered his sword.
On seeing that action, the monsters around him sprang into action at once.
He saw a bone spear fly towards his skull.
He felt a sword slash towards his back.
He heard a slime launch itself towards his left side.
He heard one of those dragons launch itself towards his other side.
A certain death.
-But.
Are you going to throw it away again?
Something inside him forced his body to move.
He swayed to his right, causing the bone spear to fly past his body and collide with the skeleton standing behind him.
Are you going to give up now, after all you've given up in the past?
The sword in his right hand lashed out to the right, cutting apart the serpent flying towards him.
You can't die.
He kicked out with his left foot, sending the slime careening in a different direction back into the horde of monsters.
You can't die.
He crouched his body and then jumped into the crowd of monsters, twirling his sword like a razor top.
You can't die. Not after all you've lost. Not until you've found something that can make up what you threw away.
"...That's right."
He can't die. He couldn't die.
He wouldn't die.
-He had forgotten. The reason why he didn't just give up in the past. The sole purpose behind his single-minded pursuit of a future he didn't care about.
“If... say just if. If I were to disappear right now, do you think anyone in the world would remember me?”
The answer to a question he had buried deep in his heart after her disappearance from his life. The reason he continue to live a meaningless life.
“Of course! I would!”
His left hand grabbed the head of a lizardman and with a twist, snapped its neck.
“Alright… But then Gray, who will remember you when you disappear? When I can’t be there anymore?”
His right hand lashed out once, and with it, three serpents fell to the ground dead.
“...What do you mean?”
A blast of water shot towards Gray from a slime in the corner of the room. He couldn't avoid it, so he reached down towards the lizardman he had killed and flung the corpse as a makeshift shield. Blood splattered his body as the corpse exploded from the impact, but it bought him enough time to rush forward and stab the slime in its mouth, shattering it.
“...It's nothing. Anyway, enough serious talk! What do you plan to do after we graduate?”
Gray dashed through the room, his limbs and sword moving in concert to eradicate every monster remaining. A perfectly coordinated act, one beyond his abilities.
He didn't know how long it was. He didn't know how short it was.
All he knew was that there were no more monsters in the cavern that were alive.
"...I see. So that's why..."
Regret, enough to drive him crazy. Unable to find out the reason for her death, he threw himself into studies to forget about it all. Swearing to himself to become great, to make up for his sin of not realizing her pain when she had been right next to him... his life that had been meaningless up to that point found its meaning. But he had lost that in the monotony of everyday activities.
-Chains. If he had continued the way he did in high school, he wouldn't have been surprised if he was the one who committed suicide. Life had no meaning to his eyes. You grew up, got a job, maybe had a family, and then you died.
She had seen through his words back then and used her life in exchange for his. To keep him chained to the world of the living, she had thrown herself into the world of the dead.
"And it took me this long to realize it. Eliza..."
Both her and the one he had met in this world. Both of them were too good to him. Both of them gave too much to him, willing to throw their lives away just to keep him alive another day.
Gray closed his eyes. As he did, he saw the blurry image of a girl he could barely remember, along with that of the woman who had helped him so much in this world. Staring at both, he silently swore to never forget the lessons they taught him.
----------------------------------------
Space crackled and distorted.
When Gray opened his eyes, he found himself back in the temple with the True Water Rune.
Staring at it, he seemed to feel a sense of serenity, and came to a realization. "I see. So that was your doing."
The rune didn't respond in words, but he got the sense that it acknowledged his words.
Following that, a soft light reached out towards him, followed by a bit of knowledge.
"...I see. So this is the 'cascade' sigil."
A vision in his mind's eye. It was a fragment of the True Water Rune's eternity, allowing the user to pull out power beyond their limits. But in order to do that, they had to bare their heart, understanding the true motive behind their actions.
Did the True Water Rune know his thoughts when he had touched it? Either way, he intuitively knew that the rune was the one that sent him into that room while his heart was in turmoil. It was also what had kept him alive long enough to come to his realizations.
"...Thank you. I won't forget this."
It was a bit odd to be talking to a floating word, but Gray said his thanks regardless and then left the temple.
When he did-
"Gray! Are you hurt?!"
-he saw someone he didn't expect to see again.
"...Eliza?"
She looked worse for wear. Her clothes were wet, and her hair was matted. A bit of blood stained her blouse, but there didn't seem to be any wounds on her.
Gray couldn't say a word and only stared at her in shock.
She smiled and rushed towards him, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him close.
"Thank the stars, you are alright. I thought that you had disappeared forever. That I-"
The warmth of her body on his, the smell of her hair, a slight lavendar scent. Her concerned words spoken directly into his ears.
His heart throbbed, hidden feelings threatening to burst.
"Eliza, I..."
She took a step back, looking into his face. Those crimson eyes stared enchantingly into his own and her face seemed to draw closer and closer-
He shook his head and stepped back. "I should be saying that about you. How do you think I felt when you were eaten by that dragon?"
Eliza laughed, her expression clear as if the moment they just shared never happened. "You know how strong I am, Gray. A small snake like that is nothing to me."
Gray felt his heart throb at Eliza's lack of reaction.
Don't think about it.
She had already made her stance clear. Him trying to get anything else was only going to put something between the amiable relationship they already had-
"...I guess. But you couldn't have told me about it beforehand?"
-So he said some idle words instead, concealing his feelings beneath worry.
Eliza's crimson eyes narrowed a bit and she frowned. "It was your own fault for rushing out like that and then standing like a fool. What kind of person stands there without a care while a ferocious monster is only a dozen of feet away?"
"I was worried!"
And he was. He had never seen or heard Eliza fight a battle lasting longer than a few seconds. When he saw that dragon, all he could think about was how he could help her, and of how she might fail.
Eliza stepped forward and tapped him on his head. "Is there anything in there?"
"Hey!" Gray stepped back and frowned. "What was that for?"
"For checking if you still have a brain. What made you think I would be beaten so easily?"
Gray crossed his arms. "Excuse me. Weren't you the one I found tied up and blindfolded in some old building?"
Eliza's face blushed at his words. "That was a special circumstance. In a front on fight- even in a fight within the shadows, how could I lose?"
"And how was I supposed to know that?" Gray threw his hands up and shook his head. "You're the one who won't tell me how strong you are. Champion this, Failure this, Braveheart that... even after telling me all that, you won't even tell me why you were tied up in the first place. What did you expect me to think?"
Eliza's face paled. "That is..."
"How do you think I felt when you pushed me aside?" Gray grimaced, recalling that scene in his head. "The monster’s mouth clamping around your body and then vanishing into the dark lake in an instant. I thought I would never see you again!"
His words were shouted, venting more than just the frustration of remembering that scene. Pain from being worthless, anger at his own self who had been naive, and the shadows of suppressed feeling. All of those emotions spilled out into his words.
Eliza crossed her arms and stepped forward. "Pardon me? I should throw those words back at you, Gray! Did you not think how I might have felt had the monster gotten you instead? If I had not pushed you aside, you would have been nothing more than monster feed right now!"
"So what?! We barely know each other anyway!"
He said it.
-That was right. He and Eliza didn't know each other. He knew nothing of her past before he met her, and she knew nothing of his past either.
While the two of them had gotten used to being around each other, mainly because of Gray's weak personality and Eliza's natural amiability, there was no real reason behind them traveling together.
While Eliza made the excuse of repaying Gray for saving her, she had already repaid that debt countless times over by saving his life as well. If not back when the slimes had attacked him, then without a doubt for pushing him aside from that dragon now.
Gray looked away, staring at his reflection in the lake. "...Why do you even bother with someone like me, anyway?"
Eliza was silent. It seemed that his words had made her speechless.
Gray grit his teeth and spun back towards her. "Answer-!"
He cut his words off when he saw Eliza's form.
She was pale. He thought that had been because of his words, but looking at her now, it didn't appear to be the case.
She tried to remain standing, but her legs were trembling and her breath was irregular. Not only that, but her face was in a grimace.
"Eliza, you- what happened?"
Eliza looked up and gave him a weak smile. "It is nothing. Just a slight wound."
Even while she said that, her body swayed, as if she was finding it difficult to remain standing.
Without even thinking about it, Gray ran up to her and supported her body.
-Light. He hadn't realized it, but the body of the woman who protected him was light. Far lighter than he expected. So light that it seemed a slight breeze would be enough to blow her away.
Eliza stiffened at the contact and tried to push him away. "I am fine, Gray!"
Despite that, Gray refused to let go. "No. You aren't."
She was trembling, and her previously warm body was starting to feel cold to the touch.
"Let go of me!"
"I won't. I don't know what happened, but you aren't in any shape to be standing around."
He lifted her up, holding her in a bridal carry.
"Gray!"
He ignored her protests. Right now, it looked like even that slime he first encountered would be able to knock Eliza down.
He thought about taking her outside of the dungeon, but on remembering how space had distorted around him and sent him to a different area, he wasn't inclined to do so.
Then he remembered the rune. While it had sent him to that room and seemed to have its own agenda, the rune itself didn't seem malevolent. And with the peaceful atmosphere in that place, he doubted any monsters would appear. Even then, if they were the same as the ones he encountered, that would be fine.
So decided, Gray turned around and walked back into the temple.
"What are you doing? Let me down already!"
Eliza squirmed, trying to get out of his grasp. He kept a firm hold on her, though. He feared that if he didn't, she might recklessly push herself and then collapse.
"Gray-!"
"Just be quiet and relax, Eliza. Let me protect you for a bit. At least until you get your strength back."
Eliza immediately stilled on hearing his words.
Struck at the sudden change in behavior, Gray looked down at Eliza.
She was staring at him, her crimson eyes carrying an indecipherable emotion. She bit her lip, as if she wanted to say something, but then nodded and said, "Okay." After that, she wrapped her arms around his neck, holding tight and entrusting her body to him completely.
It was a strange response, something entirely out of character from her usual witty and confident self.
It seemed that the situation was more serious than he thought.
Either way, he didn't say anything and continued walking to the temple.
Back inside, the True Water Rune was nowhere to be seen. Instead, there was only an empty marble interior. However, Gray could feel the presence of the water rune in the area through the sigil he had gained from it.
Rather than moving away, it seemed that the True Water Rune had just decided to hide from view, leaving Gray and Eliza alone.
He mentally thanked the rune for its consideration and then looked around for his bag. It was what held his traveling supplies, and what he needed in order to prepare a place Eliza could rest.
It was nowhere to be seen. Rather, his belonging were all there, but the bag itself was nowhere to be seen.
It would appear that the True Water Rune's decision to send Gray away had caused the magic in his bag of holding to vanish, making it explode from the contents he kept inside.
Food, blankets, pillows, and spare clothing were sprawled along the tiled floor. It was unfortunate, but helpful in that moment, since he didn't need to rummage around to prepare a place for Eliza.
"Here." Gray set Eliza down on a bedroll that had unwound on the floor and then said, "Get some rest. I'll prepare some dinner for us."
Whether because she was too tired to argue or because she was humoring Gray's protective actions, Eliza did as he asked.
Gray walked over to the rest of the mess that had been his belongings and looked for things he could use to make a warm dinner.
Eliza was cold. Perhaps from being drenched in water. Because of that, something warm would be good to help her warm up.
Gray thought about making a fire inside the temple to cook with, but then realized that it might be disrespectful. Not only that, but fire in an enclosed place like the temple might be a bad idea.
Gray grabbed a pot, threw some jerky and vegetables inside of it, and then headed back to Eliza.
She was lying on the bedroll, eyes closed in sleep. It seemed that she was more exhausted than she had let on, already unconscious after a few seconds.
Gray sighed and then set the pot down to grab a blanket. That done, he set it on Eliza and said, "I'll be back soon. Get some rest. And water rune, if you can hear me... please protect her. At least until I've returned."
There was no answer from either Eliza or the rune, but the fact that the temple warmed up was a good enough reply for him.
Gray stepped outside of the temple and onto the grass nearby.
The temple was in the middle of the lake, set on top of a small island. Because of that, while there wasn't much greenery due to being in a cave, there was a bit of grass. Using that, Gray made a small pit and then set up the pot.
It came with some metal rods, allowing Gray to hang the pot above a fire without directly setting it on top. A bit primitive in appearance, but modern enough in its convenience.
Setting everything up after throwing some grass into the pit and putting the pot above it, Gray concentrated.
He had nothing to make fire with and he was leery of using the water of the lake to cook with. Remembering how Eliza prepared things in the past, Gray looked at the pit and said, "It should just be in the mental image, right?"
While Eliza said words sometimes when she cast her spells, for the simple things like making fire or conjuring water, a wave of her hand, or even a simple look was enough.
That meant that it shouldn't be too hard to do.
"Magical prowess... that was a measure of someone's ability to channel and handle energy. Spells and magic are just a result of shaping that energy."
He muttered those words to himself. While it was a bit strange to consider, if he remembered the fact that total energy was conserved due to physics, it wasn't too strange. He was just acting as a catalyst for changing the form of that energy, from particles to thermal heat, and from air molecules into water molecules.
He focused on the bundle of grass and then held out his hand, imagining a fire emerging from it.
Almost immediately, one sprang forth. It was so swift and sudden that Gray scarmbled backwards. For a moment, he stared at his hand in amazement, but then shook it off.
He could be amazed at being able to manipulate things later. Now he had to make food for Eliza and himself.
Focusing on the image of air condensing into water, of how rain fell from the sky due to condensation, he held his hand out to the pot.
He knew that his thoughts were technically incorrect. Water didn't just come from thin air, and he turning pure energy into matter was a fact of science fiction.
Even so, somehow or another, water emerged, and the stew he planned to make was quickly forming.
Nodding, he set out to perform his duties, this time conjuring a ladle out of the air to use in stirring the soup.
----------------------------------------
Eliza was not asleep. While she had fallen asleep briefly, the moment when Gray whispered to her had been enough to pull her back into the world of the awake.
She was near the entrance of the temple, lying on a bedroll that Gray had prepared. The temple doors were open, and in doing so it allowed her to see out to what Gray was doing.
Witnessing his actions, Eliza was silently amazed. Conjuring fire and water was a sign of someone who had achieved Champion level magical prowess, but being able to create metal was the mark of one who had achieved Braveheart level magical prowess.
While she had made fun of Gray's abilities since they began travelling, the truth was that his improvement was frightening.
For someone starting with a Failure physique to reach the Champion level in a week was nothing out of the ordinary. Countless adventurers did a similar task in the past. All it took was partying with higher level adventurers and then being exposed to combat. The body would naturally adapt.
But for magical prowess to improve so rapidly...
Originally, Eliza had planned to bestow her own magical prowess to Gray after he obtained the cascade sigil from the True Water Rune. While the blessing from the rune would have increased his capacity and affinity towards manipulating energy, and magic in general, it should have only put him on the threshold of the Champion level, bringing his magical prowess on par with his body.
But somehow, he had surpassed that. There was no mistaking the aura of the cascade sigil on his body, a sign that he possessed the True Water Rune's blessing. But for him to jump past the Champion threshold directly into the Braveheart level... Eliza had thought Gray to be defenseless, but now she wasn't sure.
An inherent talent for magic, perhaps? His body had been weak when they met, but that was easily remedied. However, magical prowess was something that depended on one's affinity towards magic. It was something that could be trained slow or fast, depending on one's natural affinity.
Gray's had been low, or so Eliza had thought. While his body had rapidly improved, she had noticed that his magical prowess had not. It was one reason why she had brought him to this dungeon, where she knew it would be possible to gain a sigil to enhance magical affinity.
Had Gray's magical affinity been higher, she would have taken them both directly to the capital, and then simply have him study from various spell books. While it might have taken longer, with her guidance, even a novice could be turned to master in a month.
However, Gray had no affinity towards magic. He managed to reach the Entrant level, but after that, he had stagnated. Even the marginal gains that should have come from his body adjusting to the flow of energy in the world through combat were nowhere to be seen.
It was almost enough to cause Eliza despair. With his low affinity towards magic, even if she bestwoed her own magical prowess onto him, it would be temporary at best, and unstable at worst, causing his progress to vanish.
That was another reason why she chose to bring Gray here. With the cascade sigil's calming effects, even if his affinity was low, Eliza could safely bestow her magical prowess onto him and make it permanent with the sigil acting as a stabilizer.
But now it looked like there was no reason for her to do so.
"Gray..." Looking at the young man's back, Eliza lightly shook her head.
She was happy for him. Now he had everything he needed to learn space magic, and with that he would be able to return home.
She was happy for him. Now that he was stronger, there wasn't a need for her to protect him. As it was, he could protect himself from most things in the world, only those abnormally powerful hidden eccentrics able to harm him.
She was happy for him. Now that he could protect himself, she didn't need to worry anymore about what would happen when she left him behind.
She was happy for him... but she was also a bit sad.
"...It is regrettable."
She would have to leave him soon. She thought she could have another year with him, spend a little more time with the naive and kind young man who saved someone who should not have been saved. But now...
"Eliza? Are you awake?"
Gray's voice drew Eliza out of her thoughts.
The young man walked into the room with a bowl in hand. His blond hair was in disarray, and his leather armor looked ragged, no doubt from the True Water Rune's trial. Despite that, his face was set in a slim smile. The unreliable man who had struggled in vain to save even himself had since somehow become someone reliable.
"I brought you some soup. It's a bit hot, so don't eat it too fast. Ah, don't worry about the bowl. I made sure it wasn't too hot to hold."
Saying those words, he set the bowl down beside her. "Just let me get a bowl for myself and I'll be right back."
Staring at him whose path was swiftly diverging from her own, Eliza sighed. She sat up and then held the bowl, looking into the haphazrdly prepared soup. Seeing her own reflection, marred by the darkness of the cavern, Eliza muttered. "...Perhaps this is for the best."
She took a sip of the soup, allowing its warm broth to heat up her body.
But despite that... it did nothing to stop the numbing sensation in her chest.