Chapter 71: Nenel’s Choice
—-[Chaos Ring].
A high-level magic ring, likely created independently by Lucil and her group, based on the [Royal Robe Ring] stolen from Leo.
Nenel’s appearance, clad in a black fur-like robe with griffon wings, closely resembles the [Spirit Armor] we wear. If only it were a mere inferior copy… but it seems that’s not the case.
“I’ll warn you one last time.”
From Nenel’s body, miasma is released, giving birth to black wolves similar to those that attacked the village. Though they look alike, the power hidden within them is probably on a different level.
“You’re not going to back down?”
“I don’t have a tail to tuck between my legs and run away.”
“…I see. Then—-I’ll crush you!”
Following Nenel’s signal, the pack of black wolves attacks all at once.
They’re fast. As expected, they’re on a different level from [Ragments].
However—-they’re not unbeatable.
I shower them with magic bullets, crushing them one after another, and mow down nearby beasts with my ship’s sword.
The swarm of black wolves that rushed in vanishes into magical dust in the blink of an eye.
“Is this the extent of your true power?”
“Of course not!”
More black wolves appear. It seems as long as their user, Nenel, is alive, she can produce them endlessly.
I aim my gun at the black wolves jumping at me in the same manner, ready to shower them with magic bullets, but–
“It’s useless!”
The magic bullets I thought I had fired are absorbed into the black wolves, enhancing the beasts’ strength.
I dodge their claws and fangs, swung at an even faster speed than before, while cutting them down with my ship’s sword.
“…! These guys, they’re absorbing… no, devouring magic!”
It seems each of these black wolves can devour magic and use the consumed magic to strengthen themselves. And she can produce as many of them as she wants.
“This is my true power. With this power, I’ll kill the [Land God]!”
As her shout echoes, more jet-black wolves materialize. All of them possess original magic.
“Stop interfering! Get out of my way!”
“I can’t do that!”
I cut them down with my sword, but that’s not enough. I deploy chains using [Flame Chain Binding]. Like a whip, I use them to knock down the wolves one after another.
“Your magic-devouring power is indeed strong, but it seems you can’t absorb materialized objects!”
“No way…⁉”
“You’re making such mistakes because you’ve gotten cocky with your newfound power. You were much tougher when you were just pulling pranks.”
“No! I’m not the same as I was back then!”
Claws enveloped in miasma form on Nenel’s hands as she closes the distance, leading the pack of black wolves.
Her leg strength seems to have been greatly enhanced too, as the gap between me and Nenel closes in the blink of an eye.
“Back then, I was weak! I could only have things taken from me, and I couldn’t avenge my father and mother! But now I can…!”
“You’ve gotten weaker, Nenel.”
“…! What… are you…!?”
“I’m saying you’ve gotten weaker!”
Nenel grits her teeth, swinging the claws on both hands like a wild beast.
“On what grounds?!”
“As if such hesitant attacks could work on me!”
“…N-No! I’m not hesitating! I’ll kill the [Land God] by any means necessary, no matter what I have to sacrifice! That’s my choice! The path I’ve chosen for myself!”
Her movements, surrendering to intense emotions, are clearly lacking in vigor.
There’s certainly power behind them, but they’re easy to dodge.
“Didn’t Alfred say you’d accept my choice⁉ That’s why I chose this! I decided to take revenge because I hate the [Land God] who killed my father and mother! Why are you getting in my way⁉”
Through the clashing of her swinging claws and my blade, I can feel Nenel’s wailing.
“Is taking revenge such a bad thing⁉”
“I’m not here to deny revenge itself. If your heart truly desires revenge, then that can’t be helped.”
“Then why…!”
“Does your heart truly desire revenge?”
“…! It does!”
“You’re lying.”
“I’m not!”
“Then why don’t you kill the [Land God]?”
“Because you’re interfering…!”
“With that power, couldn’t you have overwhelmed the [Land God] with sheer numbers and launched an attack?”
The magic ring Nenel is using, [Black Wolf Pack].
From what I can see, it’s a power that can deploy a large number of black wolves, which are like demon familiars. If it’s about numbers, she could forcefully use her claws and fangs against the [Land God]. However, Nenel has only been producing a number that I can handle so far.
“If it were me, I’d be more thorough… Even Noel was serious. Although his methods were wrong, I could feel his genuine feelings through his sword. There was no hesitation at all. But from you, I only sense hesitation. Everything is half-hearted.”
“Shut up…! I am serious!”
A swarm of black wolves attacks. I dodge Nenel’s attacks, keep them in check with gunfire, slash them with my ship’s sword, and kick them away.
“I’m not hesitating! I’m not…!”
“Then do it.”
I throw her a magic ring, which Nenel reflexively catches.
The magic ring I gave her is—-[Sublimation].
“This is…”
“If you enhance yourself with that, you should be able to kill the [Land God] along with me in one strike.”
“…!”
Nenel’s eyes waver. She clutches the [Sublimation] ring I gave her.
“…That magic will support whatever decision you make.”
“My… decision…”
“Stop being half-hearted. Don’t lie to yourself. I told you, only you know what you should do. It’s something you have to decide for yourself. Otherwise, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”
Nenel is still hesitating. Because she’s hesitating, even her attacks are half-hearted.
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“I’m your guardian. I’ll accept with all my might whatever answer you choose by following your heart. No matter… what that answer might be.”
“…[Sub…limation]…”
An enormous amount of magic overflows like mud from around Nenel, filling the area around me and the [Land God].
From the mud, jet-black beasts take form one after another, surrounding us like an army. The number is clearly different from before.
If she enhances this further with [Sublimation], I alone won’t be able to handle the attacks.
“…Ah…”
Flames surge from the entire bodies of the black wolves. Eventually, the flames form into spheres, signaling that the magic power has been raised to its limit. If released all at once, it would have enough power to reduce me to ashes along with the [Land God] in a single strike.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
A scream. A roar. A swarm of countless fireballs approaching. Scorching heat filling my field of vision.
The sharp flash is like claws and fangs, the heat piercing and scorching the skin—-.
“—-……”
When the flickering light fades. All that remains is silence and the smell of scorched stone.
Not a single piece of charred flesh exists here, only the marks of violent force etched into the ground around and the wall behind.
No matter what—I and the [Land God] are both unharmed. Not a scratch, not a burn.
Is this a coincidence? Or a miracle brought about by the god’s thoughtfulness?
No. It’s neither of those. It’s not something as tasteless as coincidence or miracle.
This is an inevitability caused by human will. Simply put, it was brought about by Nenel’s own will, the caster herself.
“Why… why didn’t you dodge?”
“Well… I wonder why.”
“You could have died.”
“But I’m alive.”
“I could have killed you.”
“But you let me live.”
“Why… I was supposed to try to kill you… I shouldn’t be able to forgive you…”
Nenel fell to her knees as the black wolves wreathed in scorching heat disappeared.
“Why…!”
“Do you know what moves magic?”
“Huh…?”
“The [Magic Ring] only handles the [activation of magic]. Beyond that, you need to control it with your own will.”
Not a single fireball hit me or the [Land God].
The caster’s will worked to change their trajectory on its own. That’s why we’re alive now.
“The magic controlled by your will spared the lives of your parents’ killer and me. You could have killed us, but you didn’t… That’s what it means, right?”
“Ugh…!”
Nenel had been hesitating since she started fighting me.
“I really… intended to kill. When I heard that the [Land God] killed my father and mother… I wanted to kill it. That was my intention. But… I got scared.”
Normally, there should be no need to hesitate. If there’s an enemy, you kill them. Without hesitation or thought.
“When I saw Uncle Morgan… I got scared. I wondered if I’d become like that too if I obsessed over revenge… if I’d turn into a monster… if I’d forget about my father and mother…”
Morgan devoted himself to revenge. He gained power, and before he knew it, he forgot even about the family he was supposed to cherish. He drowned in power, became obsessed with it, and turned into a monster.
“After my father and mother died, I was alone. But Alfred and the others helped me. They gave me options other than revenge… I started thinking about tomorrow, about the future… I started looking forward to tomorrow… I felt like if I killed the [Land God], that would all disappear… I got scared.”
The moment she started hesitating—this kid’s answer was already decided.
“I thought that wasn’t right. I thought my father and mother wouldn’t be happy with that either… So I got power from Lucille. But… spending every day with everyone, and tomorrow, became so much more important than avenging my parents…”
Nenel’s heart had already chosen.
Not the past of revenge, but the future of tomorrow.
“Hey… do you think my father and mother will forgive me? For not avenging them and living for tomorrow on my own… do you think they’ll forgive me…?”
“I don’t know about dead people. For whatever reason, your parents were robbed of their future with you. So they might resent the [Land God].”
“…”
“But… I think they’d be happy that you chose to face forward and live for tomorrow. At least, that’s what I’ve decided to believe.”
There’s no way to know what the dead are thinking.
That’s why we can only choose. What they were thinking. What they were considering.
All we living can do is decide for ourselves and choose to believe in that decision.
“Yeah. I don’t know what my father and mother are thinking either, but… I’ll choose to believe that too.”
As if responding to the girl’s choice, the spirit dress of the [Chaos Ring] dissolved.
“…”
Nenel slowly walked towards the [Land God], and stood next to me, looking up at the divine being.
“I can’t forgive you. I’ll never forgive you for as long as I live.”
“——”
The divine being behind me maintained its silence.
Nenel, shrouded in miasma, was also an entity the [Land God] should have opposed, and it could have used its holy power. However, the [Land God] remained silent. Even though it meant exposing itself to the scorching hellfire, it watched over Nenel’s choice along with me.
“This grudge and hatred might never disappear. But—”
The girl’s smile was soft. There was no trace of the darkness that had stained her.
“—From now on, I’ll live looking towards the future. I’ll face forward, live each day to the fullest, and be happy… I’ll make you feel guilty. That’s… my own form of revenge.”
It was a declaration. One from someone who held both hope for the future and the hatred they would continue to harbor in their heart.
“——”
A beautiful roar, worthy of being called a melody, echoed around. The [Land God] shone, and its released pure light gently enveloped Nenel.
“Ah…”
The miasma drained from Nenel’s entire body. The dark power given by the night witch dissipated.
It was probably the purification power that cleanses darkness from the earth over a wide area, concentrated on Nenel alone.
“Is this…”
“…Maybe it’s the [Land God]’s way of making amends.”
“I see… Thank you.”
Nenel’s face, as she stood before her enemy, was very peaceful.
“Oh my. This was unexpected.”
A sweet voice tore through the peaceful atmosphere.
A silhouette approaching with a leisurely gait was revealed in the light.
“Lucille…!”
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