Chapter 231: The Promise Beneath the Blue Flower
The boss raid was divided into a total of three phases.
During the first phase, the boss inflated its body and grew gigantic.
Once it entered the second phase, it summoned countless Shadow Knights, and by the final phase, it even called forth a Shadow Mage.
However, the trickiest part of this raid lay in a certain pattern that persisted throughout every phase.
It was...
'Magic Suppression.'
A high-difficulty special penalty that was rarely seen on any boss.
'Philip probably thinks he was too frightened to use magic.'
The truth was the exact opposite.
He had become frightened because he couldn't use magic.
While the boss freely unleashed spell after spell, the player's magic was completely sealed. From the player's perspective, there could hardly be anything more unfair than that.
Because of this, unless someone had thoroughly trained in swordsmanship, this was one of the bosses players found especially difficult at the current stage.
'It was infamous even in the game. Whenever magic was blocked, the characters' stress levels shot through the roof.'
For a mage, being unable to use magic was one of the most terrifying situations imaginable. Even I, someone who rarely relied on magic, could understand that overwhelming sense of helplessness.
Of course I could.
To put it simply, it was like suddenly losing one of your five senses.
And if it was something you had devoted your entire life to mastering?
If a painter lost their eyesight, or a musician's fingers became permanently stiff, how could anyone describe that despair?
It would feel as though your entire life had been denied.
'That's probably why Philip begged me so desperately, even going so far as to hand over his keepsake.'
Magic had been everything to Philip. He never wanted to experience the terror of being unable to use it ever again.
'...But well, it doesn't matter to me or Lapin.'
I slowly walked toward the boss beneath the blue flower.
Lapin matched my pace and followed beside me.
Ppoeng! Ppik-!
Once I was close enough, I stopped.
If I got any closer, the first phase would begin.
It was better to land the first attack before the creature inflated its body.
I reached into empty air to pull out Hwayo's card...
...Then suddenly paused.
Ppoeeeng~!
'...It actually sounds kind of cute.'
The creature was tiny, too.
It was even smaller than my fist, crying out with little "ppik, ppik" noises like a baby animal.
...For a brief moment, I wondered if it might be a Spirit Creature.
But I quickly shook my head.
'No way. The system isn't appearing.'
Whenever I discovered a Spirit Creature, the system would always fill my vision, practically begging me to recruit it.
Since the system wasn't reacting now, there was no way this thing was a Spirit Creature.
...And yet.
Ppik-! Ppoeng!
For some reason...
...I hesitated to bring my sword down.
When I continued staring at it, Lapin tilted her head.
Then she whispered quietly.
"Villed, are you sick?"
"...No."
Hearing her voice, I tightened my grip on my sword.
"Sorry. I got distracted for a moment. I'll focus again."
"Okay."
After hearing Lapin's reply, I summoned Hwayo's card into the air.
'The first phase begins.'
The magic circle in midair tore open, and the blue lizard, Hwayo, emerged.
Paaaah-!
Just as Hwayo's pillar of fire descended upon the creature—
Ppoeeee... Bweeeeeee-!
Boom!
Its round body expanded in an instant.
Lapin and I both leaped backward, widening the distance as we watched.
Smoke curled from its body.
It seemed to have taken Hwayo's pillar of fire head-on.
'It really has grown enormous.'
It looked several times larger than I was.
The surrounding grass gradually withered.
Dust drifted through the air as everything rapidly became dry.
...It was the 'Desertification' phenomenon.
At the same time, 'Magic Suppression' had begun.
'Doesn't matter.'
As I reached into the air, Shark and Hwayo's cards appeared in my hand.
'Fusion Technique.'
Fwoosh!
Raging flames intertwined with rippling darkness.
By carefully controlling them, the 'Black Flames' wrapped around only my sword, hands, and shoes.
The maximum fusion rate I could currently produce was 37%.
Compared to when I had fought Knight Commander Verdi during the Succession War Incident, it was only about one-third as powerful.
...Even so, it possessed tremendous destructive force.
Slash!
I swung my sword.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Bweoooooo-!
The critically wounded boss staggered as it screamed.
It rolled its massive body, trying to crush me beneath its weight...
'Pointless.'
Slash!
I effortlessly evaded the counterattack and immediately struck back.
The wolf swordsmanship specialized in hit-and-run combat.
Each strike compressed devastating destructive power into the sword's trajectory.
If I had to describe it in gaming terms...
...It was essentially a critical hit.
Except those 'critical hits' were occurring constantly.
Bweoooooo-!
Driven into a corner, the boss leaped into the air, hoping to flatten me beneath its own weight.
...It was useless.
Boom!
The moment it floated into the air—
For an incredibly brief instant.
Less than half a second.
I clearly saw it.
Dozens of fists overlapped across its round body, layering over one another like afterimages.
Boom!
A heavy explosive impact burst through the air, and the boss was sent flying.
"Kyaahaha! Don't even think about touching it! I'll protect it!"
With Lapin, wearing her silk hat, joining the battle, the raid progressed smoothly.
'...I knew it wouldn't be difficult, but this is way easier than I expected.'
The boss flailed helplessly after flipping onto its back before finally recovering and standing up again.
Bweeeeeee-!
Cornered at last, the monster let out its final desperate roar.
That roar signaled the transition into the next phase.
Shiiing...
Knights clad in pitch-black armor emerged around the boss's feet.
Ghostly knights.
Dark, hazy shadows flowed between the gaps in their armor.
Roughly dozens of Shadow Knights formed layer upon layer around the boss as though serving as its royal guard.
There were so many of them that, when I first saw this scene in the game, I had been completely overwhelmed with despair.
But Lapin, still wearing her silk hat, only grinned confidently.
"Let's see who defeats more! The winner gets one wish granted!"
"Says who? I'm not making a bet I know I won't lose."
"That's mean! I'm still going to defeat more than you!"
"Safety comes first. Don't overdo it and get hurt. There are too many of them."
"Okaaaay~!"
Clang!
I crossed swords with the knight in front of me.
Perhaps because I had sparred countless times with the Manager after learning swordsmanship...
Simply crossing blades allowed me to read many things.
The opponent's skill.
Their emotions.
And many other things.
But these Shadow Knights were different.
There wasn't the slightest emotion in their swords.
Only emptiness.
'...They're like hollow shells.'
I found that deeply unpleasant.
Slash!
One after another, I cut them down.
Their armor looked sturdy, but a single swing of my sword was enough to erase them.
Boom! Bang!
Lapin wasn't about to lose either.
She smashed them apart with fists that struck like giant maces.
Explosions echoed everywhere as armored bodies burst apart.
It didn't take long.
Eventually, every summoned knight disappeared.
...Then came the final phase.
Bwaaaaaaaa-!
The roar that shook the earth was louder than every previous cry combined.
...And only one figure appeared.
A mage floated in midair.
He wore a pure white robe with a hood covering his face.
The staff in his hand was laden with ripe fruit.
"Huh?"
Lapin, still wearing her silk hat, glanced at me.
"That staff... doesn't it look a lot like yours?"
"..."
It did.
I couldn't take my eyes off it either.
It looked remarkably similar to my Heart of Ilaune.
'Wait.'
I'd seen something like this before.
'Where was it? I'm sure... I've definitely seen this somewhere.'
It wasn't even that long ago.
'That's right. During the department experience.'
Karin, Lapin, and I had once visited the Barrier Department for a fortune-telling experience.
"You look like you've seen something. Tell me."
"...I think I saw myself. I was wearing white clothes and holding a staff."
"Are you certain? For someone's true self to appear instead of being transformed into a symbolic representation... I looked it up just in case, but there wasn't a single mention of anything like that in the books. The visualization lasts for such a short time that you probably imagined it."
Back then, I had simply assumed it was 'my future self' wearing a white robe.
Then why did the mage before me look exactly like the vision I'd seen that day?
Was it merely coincidence?
I couldn't be certain because the hood concealed the face, but I raised a hand to stop Lapin, who had already clenched her fists.
"Wait."
"Why? Do you know him?"
"No... not exactly."
I stepped forward.
"...There's something I need to confirm."
Normally, the correct strategy was to ignore the summoned mage and attack the boss's main body.
But instead of attacking the boss itself...
I leaped toward the mage.
'Let's see what your face looks like.'
Whoosh!
I swung my sword toward the hood.
But despite the sharp sword aura striking it directly, the hood didn't even budge.
Rather than coming off, it seemed completely fused with the surrounding shadow.
'Damn it... I can't remove the hood.'
Just as anxiety began creeping in—wondering if it might contain some clue related to my own abilities—
"...Something's strange."
Pop!
With a small explosion, Lapin returned to normal.
"I think... I can hear a voice."
Clutching her chest, she stared at the figure.
"That child is asking for help."
"...What?"
No way.
Bweoooooo-!
The creature roared at me with obvious hostility.
But after hearing Lapin's words, I stored my sword inside my Subspace.
Then, as if possessed, I walked straight toward the boss.
'...This is insane. It's an unbelievable gamble. It definitely is.'
But if I defeated this boss without confirming it...
...I might regret it forever.
I clenched my teeth.
I trusted Lapin's instincts.
As I grasped the air, Pau's card appeared amid sparkling droplets of clear water.
'Please... lend me your power.'
I squeezed the card tightly once before charging toward the boss.
Bweoooooo-!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Shadow Mage swung his staff.
Tree branches came crashing down toward me.
I effortlessly dodged them and placed my hand upon the boss's body.
'Pau!'
Paaang!
A brilliant golden aura exploded from my hand, swallowing the darkness whole.
And then—
The boss's pitch-black surface, dark as the abyss itself, was completely washed away.
Its true form, which had been buried beneath the darkness all this time, finally emerged.
As the dazzling light spread outward, breaking the silence, a familiar sound effect echoed through the air.
Bbamparabbam!
I held my breath.
Then I turned toward the system window floating before me.
You've discovered an Animal Friend!
There's an Animal Friend within a 1-meter radius!
XXXX XXX
Level: ???
Traits: ???
A very long time ago.
How long had it been?
The memory had grown so faint that I could barely remember it anymore.
A man wearing a white robe stood there, holding a staff laden with fruit.
His hood was pulled low enough to hide his face completely.
Even so...
I could still recognize the gentle smile resting on his lips.
Ppoeng! Ppoeng!
A small, round frog cried endlessly from the man's palm.
As though begging him not to leave.
Begging him not to abandon it alone.
"You cry so sorrowfully. I fear that parting will wound your tender heart. Farewells have always been that way."
Ppoeng!
"But never forget this. Someday... we will meet again."
His voice remained warm, as though soothing a child.
"I promise you here, before this blue flower."
He gently placed the little frog beneath the fully bloomed flowers.
"Until then... this is only a temporary goodbye."
Ppoeng! Ppoeeeng!
The frog remained there, crying its heart out.
But the man's figure only grew farther and farther away.
...After that day, the man was never seen again.