Chapter 24
Kwaaang!
An explosion of enormous scale occurred.
“Kyaaak! Daphne-nim!”
As the explosion occurred, as expected, the debris blocking the sky flew away, making it possible to get out.
But it’s not over here. Because Daphne intended to absorb the aura of death emanating after the explosion.
“Be assimilated.”
Chwaaak-!
Pitch-black magic power was drawn out from Daphne’s fingertips. The magic power, torn into branches like plant stems, became a huge vine and completely covered the aura of death flowing from the bomb.
Kwaaaang!
But such condensed aura of death like this bomb is not easy to swallow.
If she hadn’t taken Teti’s doping potion, it would surely have been difficult. The side effects are trash, but the performance is good, so it was an unavoidable choice.
‘Absorb black magic with my original power and turn it into my magic power.’
Then the total amount of magic power will increase from now.
Of course, it will hurt like dying afterward, but what can she do? It’s the pain she must endure to become stronger.
“Kyaaaak!”
“Wha, what in the world!”
“Aaak! Lady! What are you doing there!”
Somehow a familiar voice was heard, but Daphne didn’t even glance that way.
Hoo, hoo. Calming her breath and concentrating her mind.
Catching the aura of death trying to spread in all directions through the vines she spread…!
“Wha, what is that?”
“My god……”
The pitch-black aura of death like jet black soared high into the sky.
However, it doesn’t spread.
Because the magic Daphne spread was holding and forcibly swallowing the aura of death.
“Lady!”
Daphne absorbed the condensed energy directly into her body.
Keheok! Pitch-black mucus spurts from her mouth and nose.
However, she doesn’t back down.
Even if her skin is rotting, even if her breath is choking, even if she feels the pain of her body twisting, it’s a determination to definitely absorb this aura of death.
[Absorbing mana.]
Daphne’s eyes widened.
‘Almost done now……’
Damn. Strength is lacking.
Daphne barely held onto her fading consciousness and gritted her teeth, but unfortunately, the effect of the medicine was ending.
‘This won’t do……!’
Should she give up absorption and release it? No, if she does that, it will be half-baked and this body won’t endure it.
Moreover, not only me dying, but everyone here will die too. She saved them with effort, she can’t let them die.
Before, because I was a ‘disaster,’ she couldn’t properly help people, but now it’s different.
Since karma is severed, she can properly show her goodwill. Therefore, she can’t give up here. She must save them. She can save them!
So she must do it somehow.
Because only I can resolve this here!
“Be assimilated!”
Once again, the reinforced vines tightly gripped the aura of death.
“Ugh, ah……!”
But as expected, it was insufficient. She felt Teti’s medicine effect dropping and side effects rising. Her mind flickers and fades. Daphne bit the inside of her mouth hard and endured, and endured again.
‘I can do it alone.’
She bit her flesh so hard that red blood trickled down. However, just a little more, just a little more endurance…!
Kwaaang!
Oh no.
The aura of death that Daphne’s power couldn’t reach began to surge as is. If it descends like that, all humans here will be eroded by the aura of death.
“No……!”
When Daphne’s scream-like cry echoed pitifully.
Chwaaak-!
The aura of death pouring like liquid was sliced in half. That half was sliced in half again, and half of the half was sliced in half again. And the surroundings began to be purified. Golden sword energy shining as if holy spread in all directions.
Daphne blankly stared at the golden starlight falling even to her and slowly lowered her hand. Then she felt a force supporting her back.
“Daphne.”
A familiar voice.
And at the same time, a voice she intensely hated.
“You can stop now.”
But somehow, now this voice makes her heart calm. It doesn’t seem that hateful.
“You suffered alone.”
Daphne could feel the aura of death that had been ravaging her body gradually subsiding. As strength slowly drained, Daphne’s eyes closed.
But before falling asleep, Daphne squeezed out her strength and used search magic.
[Daphne Akion]
Magic Power: 50
It rose, really……
Confirming that her magic power had increased, Daphne smiled broadly and fainted.
***
“Th, this is what……”
They say when something exceeds the range the mind can think of, one loses words.
All the evacuated people had their mouths agape, speechless. What just happened? Terror? Fire? And…… a bomb?
No one could properly define this situation. It was then.
“Mother! I’m here!”
A hoarse voice rang out loudly. It was Brysa, who escaped last thanks to Daphne.
“Oh, my god. Brysa! My daughter!”
The Pinch Marchioness, who had been running through the crowd forgetting decorum in search of Brysa, staggered as if finally relieved upon seeing her daughter’s face, but ultimately gathered her strength and approached Brysa.
“Thank goodness you’re alive. God, thank you!”
The marchioness wailed and tightly hugged Brysa.
Now finally relieved, Brysa couldn’t hold back and shed tears too.
She really almost died, and might never see her mother again.
“No, Mother. Rather than God, we must thank lady Daphne. Without her, I would have died…… really.”
The people who had been warmly watching the mother-daughter reunion began to perk up their ears.
Timing it perfectly, Count Milan, who had tried to carry Daphne out earlier, raised his voice.
“That’s right. I was about to escort Lady Daphne out, but she suddenly heard a crying sound and ran back in. It seems she went to save Lady Brysa.”
“Yes, that’s right! I couldn’t move because my leg was injured. Lady Daphne saved me. And she blocked the magic bomb with her own body. Saying she had to make me escape.”
“Wa, wait a minute. Really, that Daphne Akion saved you? And what do you mean magic bomb?”
The murmur among the people who heard both Count Miland and Brysa’s words grew louder.
Most, like the marchioness, hadn’t grasped the situation properly and were flustered, but among them, some had kept their wits.
“Th, that’s right! That thing I saw earlier was it! It was a bomb!”
“But it didn’t seem like an ordinary bomb……”
“Wasn’t it the aura of death?”
Aura of death!
Black magic!
Now, as if everything fit together, people spat sighs and shouted.
“Yes! Right! It was a black magic bomb exploding! We almost all died!”
“Then, Lady Daphne blocked that bomb?”
It was an impossible story, but recalling the phenomenon just now, this hypothesis fit.
The soaring aura of death.
The young Daphne gathering it and taking it into her body.
Since they saw it clearly with their own eyes, they couldn’t deny it.
That’s why people were even more shocked.
Not because of the sudden terror, not because of the collapsing and burning marquis’s mansion, not because of the out-of-nowhere black magic bomb, but because of Daphne Akion, who struggled desperately to resolve all of it!
As soon as the building collapsed, Daphne Akion, despite being a 5-year-old child herself, prioritized evacuating the children first.
Was that all? She took a black magic bomb she didn’t even know existed with her own body. Something even a high priest couldn’t do!
“Wh, where is Lady Daphne?”
“I saw her collapsing earlier…… or not?”
Unease arose among the people who hadn’t even noticed Heros supporting Daphne because of the soaring aura of death. Then, a sharp cry flowed from the back of the crowd.
“Your Excellency! Your Exceeeeellency!”
It was Heros’s adjutant, Pollin.
He had seen from start to finish Heros running to Daphne, so pale-faced, he ran toward Heros.
“What about the young lady?! Is she dead?!”
“She didn’t die.”
“Phew. Good.”
Pollin wiped cold sweat with a handkerchief and received Daphne from Heros.
Daphne had a deathly pale face and was breathing unevenly, and it was clear at a glance she wasn’t fine.
“But she looks like she’ll die soon. Her condition is terrible.”
The people around were shaken by Pollin’s blunt words.
“Is Lady Daphne in danger?”
“Should we call a priest? No, we’ll call one! For black magic, holy power should work!”
“To sacrifice herself to save us……”
Where did those who mocked her as a rascal go? All the gathered people genuinely worried for Daphne and grew anxious.
And some glanced at Pollin holding the collapsed Daphne, and upon seeing her obviously pained complexion, they were divided into those clutching their chests in sorrow and those clenching fists with determined expressions.
“We’ll summon the priest to the mansion. We return……”
“Your Excellency. Please summarize the situation.”
Heros, who wanted to leave the scene as soon as possible, paused at Pollin’s words.
Because all the gathered people had their eyes wide, staring at Heros.
They were curious about what the current situation was and if everyone’s guesses were correct.
Haa. Heros let out a deep sigh and touched his forehead.
“If one has eyes, one can see what Daphne did just now.”
“She took in all the aura of death, right? Right?”
“Yes.”
As soon as Heros nodded to Pollin’s question summarizing the situation, an uproar arose in the crowd.
“She…… saved us.”
“Hero, hero! Daphne Akion is a hero!”
Hero my foot.
Such praise is useless if dead.
Heros grabbed Pollin’s nape, who was holding Daphne, and quickly walked toward the carriage.
“We will never forget this favor!”
“We honor the sacrifice of Hero Lady Daphne!”
“Hey. She hasn’t died yet.”
“Ah! We honor the achievements of Hero Lady Daphne!”
They each spat out cries full of resolve, and as a result, the story that Daphne saved people from the black magic terror spread throughout the entire empire in less than two days.
***
The time when a fingernail-sized crescent moon hung.
Thanks to the thickly spread clouds, even starlight couldn’t illuminate the sky.
For that reason, the world was as pitch black as shadows and darkness indistinguishable.
If not for the occasional beast cries echoing, it would feel crushed by the darkness.
Such darkness grows thicker the deeper into the forest.
The leaves not receiving light all bowed their heads toward the ground, and fireflies that would normally glow are strangely absent. Only the gleaming eyes of mountain beasts hunting for prey shake here and there.
In such a place, there is a man wearing a robe over his head.
His entire body is wrapped in black bandages, except for his bright yellow eyes.
The man tapped the bandages wrapped to his fingertips, then soon raised his head.
And toward those kneeling on one knee behind him, he opened his mouth.
“……So.”
The man’s voice, if heard without warning, was so horrific and grotesque it would make one cover their ears. Like the noise of scraping iron on iron.
But those who seemed like his subordinates didn’t flinch at all, as if accustomed. They kept their heads bowed and focused on the man’s words.
“You failed?”
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By Anna 💓
