Chapter 34 : A Hundred Flowers In A Row

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The day Lumia abandoned her friend in the flames and fled.

After barely surviving, she hid in a safe place and thought to herself:

No matter how strong the attackers in the capital are, there are so many people here.

So, it’s unlikely that my friend would be harmed.

As a fellow student of Arcana, my friend would have escaped somehow, safely.

But the next day, Lumia found her friend reduced to blackened ashes.

From what she heard, her friend had tried to protect those in danger, standing against the attackers herself.

Lumia didn’t want to believe it.

She had been the one who dragged her friend into helping others.

From that day on, Lumia was tormented by guilt.

In her dreams, the experience of her friend’s death replayed endlessly, and waking up drenched in sweat and tears became her norm.

Whether she was attending school or working outside to earn money, the nightmares never ceased.

The smell lingered.

The smell of charred flesh, dried and burned—it clung to her no matter where she went.

Even as she reminded herself a hundred times that it wasn’t real.

She feared people’s gazes.

It felt like everyone was blaming her for abandoning her friend and fleeing.

Lowering her eyes to the ground became a habit.

And she could no longer use mana properly.

Whenever she tried to harness her power, the heat and acrid stench of that day came rushing back to her.

Because now, she had an excuse: There’s no need to fight for someone else anymore.

Someone who couldn’t even use mana properly—how could she step up?

She didn’t need to face anything terrifying or painful anymore.

She became a failure.

Even when others mocked her, it only hurt for a moment.

After all, if she stayed silent and acted foolish, people quickly grew bored.

Her emotional wounds and the pain of the past seemed to fade away.

But then, something unexpected happened.

She made a new friend.

Occasionally, people would approach her after seeing her face, but these two were entirely different.

Though they sometimes caused trouble—like costing her a job or doing odd things during her practice sessions—they also helped her when she found herself in difficult situations.

Her time with them was incredibly precious and joyful.

And yet, it was painful at the same time.

The closer she got to them, the more she realized how kind they were, the more she became aware of how pathetic and worthless she was.

Her anguish grew deeper.

When she abandoned Wade in the forest during a crisis, and he later visited her to check on her, asking if she was okay instead…

And today.

When she saw Wade throw himself to save her… it felt like her heart was being torn apart.

It was a pain so unbearable that Lumia unconsciously moved.

“Why, why would you go so far for me…?”

Why am I so pathetic?

Why am I so weak?

Why didn’t I do anything?

If only I had summoned a little courage, this wouldn’t have happened.

If only I had even half of Wade’s bravery… this wouldn’t have happened.

A burning power surged from her heart.

Pure White Mana

As the pure white mana pulsed in rhythm with her heart, it spread throughout her body and soon enveloped both her and Wade.

The mana that flowed out naturally formed seams, manifesting countless buds, which quickly blossomed into radiant flowers of mana.

The space, once saturated with the stench of blood, was now filled with a delicate floral fragrance.

“Oh! These flowers… The high level of mana control naturally manifested this imagery. They’re beautiful,” Elia marveled.

Thankfully, by some miracle, he was still alive.

Barely clinging to life, he teetered on the brink of death, but his heart had not stopped.

If treated quickly, he could survive.

“Move.”

“Huh? Why should I?”

There was no time.

If words wouldn’t resolve this, there was only one option left.

Carefully laying Wade down, she stood up.

“Are you trying to fight me?”

“If you won’t move, I’ll kill you.”

Elia pointed at Lumia.

Lumia knew.

Her hands and legs were trembling.

She was still afraid.

It was clear that the opponent before her was strong.

The fears of her past hadn’t disappeared.

The scorched smell and the heat of the flames still felt vivid.

But even so, she gripped her sword tightly and stepped forward.

The more her hands shook, the harder she gripped; the more her legs quivered, the firmer her stance became.

“You’re trying hard,” Elia mocked.

The puppets attacked all at once, moving at a speed far beyond what they had shown earlier.

Lumia parried dozens of blades while simultaneously striking with just as many.

Her movements, once no different from an average knight, were now so swift that most people couldn’t even follow them with their eyes.

As the arcs of her blade flashed, the puppets—unstoppable no matter the wounds inflicted on them—were rendered powerless.

Heads, arms, legs, even torsos were severed, leaving the puppets scattered across the floor like trash.

“Not completely useless, I suppose,” Elia shrugged.

“Do you really think taking him now will save him? There’s no way. Just look at him—he’s on the verge of death.”

“Why go to such lengths? You two don’t even have that kind of relationship. Wouldn’t it be better to leave him and run away?”

“I’m not running away anymore. Even if it costs me my life here and now.”

“Even if you say that… Without someone coming to help you, there’s no way you can beat me. You don’t have any tricks up your sleeve, do you?”

Elia flicked her fingers, and the dismembered puppets began moving on their own.

Pieces like arms, legs, and heads grotesquely fused together, forming something far from human.

The newly created puppets, infused with condensed mana and life force from multiple sources, unleashed distorted powers.

Hands reached out from dozens of directions wielding blades, mouths spewed acidic fluid strong enough to melt stone, and they even cast magic.

Even without using her own magic, Elia’s power far surpassed Lumia’s.

And since Elia only used mana from corpses, the battle would only drag in her favor.

Lumia had no chance in a prolonged fight.

Midway through dealing with the puppets, Lumia abruptly shifted her direction and charged straight at Elia.

When fighting a puppeteer, the key was to target the puppeteer, not the puppets.

But, of course, Elia was well aware of this.

“Do you think I’d fall for that?”

More puppets formed around Elia, easily blocking Lumia’s assault.

Lumia infused the mana blossoms blooming around her into her sword and body, relentlessly attacking until she could break through Elia’s defenses.

But eventually…

Her movements began to slow.

From the start, it had been evident that the mana consumption was too intense.

“Ugh,” Lumia groaned as blood spilled from her mouth.

Not only was the mana consumption overwhelming, but her body, unused to prolonged exertion after years of disuse, couldn’t keep up.

The puppets seized this opening, striking Lumia and sending her flying into a nearby wall.

Shattered Resolve

Lumia crashed through the desk and sofa, embedding into the wall before collapsing to the ground, coughing up blood.

“How about now? Feeling like giving up yet?”

“Ugh…”

“Hmm~ What should I do? If you leave your friend here and beg me to spare you, I might just feel generous enough to let you live.”

“I… won’t… run away…”

Despite her body reaching its limits, Lumia forced herself to stand again.

“You know,” Elia sneered, “like I said earlier, you’re disgusting.”

“And you? You’re the worst. Acting all noble and self-righteous after abandoning your friend and letting them die? It’s revolting. Just admit it—cry and beg me to let you live.”

“You… are…”

“Yeah, come on, grovel. If you cry and plead pathetically enough, maybe, just maybe, I’ll change my mind.”

Shaking, Lumia raised her sword.

“You’re… a sad person.”

Elia scoffed. “What nonsense is this now?”

“You don’t understand why we’re like this. You don’t know what friendship really means. And I bet you’ll never understand, even if you live your whole life. That’s why you’re pitiful.”

“Haha, you’re really spouting nonsense now.” Elia laughed coldly.

“I’m tired of listening to your drivel. Just die already. Die and become one of my puppets. At least then, you’d have some use.”

Elia raised her hand, and all the puppets charged at Lumia.

There was no way Lumia could stop them now.

But… I didn’t need to intervene anymore.

Because he was just about to arrive.

BOOM!

Something pierced through the walls from outside the castle.

The puppets froze, halting their approach toward Lumia.

Elia turned her gaze to assess the new situation.

As the thick dust settled, a figure emerged—Kalian.

The protagonist of this world and already a top-tier swordsman, his stern eyes scanned the area.

I had secretly called him, knowing Elia would attack.

This was the perfect moment for Kalian to rescue Lumia, creating an impressive scene.

“Lumia.”

“Kal…Kalian…?”

Seeing Lumia barely alive, Kalian shifted his gaze to me.

His expression clearly said: What’s the meaning of this? You could’ve stopped this but chose not to?

But Kalian had endured my eccentricities all his life.

He’d also learned that there was always a reason behind them.

So, instead of arguing, he faced Elia, concealing her identity.

His previously gentle gaze turned fierce, radiating murderous intent capable of tearing his opponent apart.

“Was this your doing?”

“I… uh…”

“You don’t need to explain who you are. You’re going to die here anyway.”

The moment Kalian drew his sword, a brilliant arc of light slashed diagonally through the castle, cutting through the puppets and even Elia.

CRASH!

The castle tilted and collapsed, thundering down the hillside with an earth-shaking roar.

As the sky became visible and the breeze swept through the castle ruins, Kalian approached me.

“Wade.”

“Is it over?”

He held up a severed hood, showing no bloodstains.

It seemed Elia had escaped before the attack landed, leaving behind only that trace of her.

The grotesque puppets had disintegrated into dust under Kalian’s strike.

“She doesn’t seem like an ordinary opponent. Who is she?”

“I’ll tell you later.”

“You’re impossible. Lumia’s safe for now, but what were you thinking, going this far without consulting me?”

“Why would I consult you? If I told you, your face would’ve given it away.”

“Tch… So, did things turn out the way you wanted?”

I glanced at Lumia.

She had lost consciousness, lying peacefully despite her wounds and bloodied state.

At least she wasn’t having nightmares anymore.