READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 116
I stared blankly for a moment before snapping back to reality.
Why the sudden change?
“Ria, get away!”
Cecilia, of all people, would usually obey my words without question. But for some reason, she wasn’t even listening now. From her attitude, it’s like I didn’t exist.
“What are you doing?!”
“Kiririk! Why are you fighting?!”
The three who had been huddled in the corner rushed over in a panic.
Isabella had unleashed her Blood Technique, and Estizel was also preparing a magic circle.
Cecilia seemed completely oblivious to it all, not moving an inch.
“You’re the one, aren’t you?”
Cecilia’s focus was solely on Charlotte.
Luna flickered in the grip of Charlotte’s hand holding the Moonlight Sword, threatening to touch her neck as the sword trembled.
“Ten years ago, a Magic Overrun. That was your doing, wasn’t it?”
“…No.”
“Don’t lie. You were the one who—”
“No, I wasn’t!!”
Bam—!
A surge of magical energy erupted, sending Cecilia reeling through the air. Her toes scraped the ground, leaving a dent in the earth.
Charlotte picked up the staff that had fallen on the ground. Instantly, an intangible barrier enveloped her.
“What the hell is going on?!”
I couldn’t process the scene unfolding before my eyes.
Their expressions were filled with blatant hostility.
Sure, they always had a rocky relationship, but it shouldn’t have escalated to this point without any warning.
“That’s right. It was you.”
“I told you, it wasn’t me!”
Suddenly, Cecilia vanished.
At that moment, the Moonlight Sword pierced through the barrier.
Whoosh—! A delayed gust of wind whipped around us.
Understanding the situation could wait. Right now, stopping those two was my top priority.
Words alone wouldn’t be enough to resolve this.
The remaining three might help, but they were more likely to get caught up in it than anything.
‘It’s the same for me.’
I had killed Calandas single-handedly, but that was only because of the overwhelming power I had.
If I intervened in their fight, I’d be the one getting hurt.
I gestured for the three to step back and threw a glance at the Hermit.
“Hermit. Get out the Jewel of Deception.”
“Uh, y-yes?”
“Hurry.”
The Hermit’s exclusive weapon was the Jewel of Deception.
As the boss of the Seven Lairs, focused mainly on mental attacks, her weapon reflected that.
It might be less effective against powerhouses like Charlotte and Cecilia.
But mental fortitude tends to waver with heightened emotions.
I figured it would work perfectly for both of them now.
After hesitating, the Hermit reached into the air. A pearl resembling white jade appeared in her grasp.
White mana began to surge from her body. The overwhelming presence felt fitting for the boss of the Seven Lairs.
[Lv. 94]
Cecilia was at level 93, and Charlotte was at level 92.
Moreover, both of their minds were consumed by emotion.
“Uh, boss? Th-this could be bad. If the trauma amplifies, our subcommander will…”
Those affected by the Jewel of Deception would likewise lose consciousness and have their trauma reproduced.
The Hermit’s concern was whether this was the right move, especially considering Charlotte’s already unstable mental state.
“Is there a way to handle just Cecilia?”
“Th-they’re too close. It’s going to be tough to put just one of them to sleep…”
Charlotte could be in danger, but I didn’t have the luxury of options.
Actually, there might still be alternatives.
But I couldn’t afford to ponder that right now.
Bang! Boom—!
A loud explosion erupted, and smoke obscured the view.
Any hesitation for a second could result in someone’s death.
‘Damn it, what kind of pathetic boss couldn’t handle this?’
If the boss was weaker than the subordinates, situations like this inevitably arose.
It was seriously frustrating to be powerless while the stakes were so high.
“It doesn’t matter. Don’t hesitate.”
“O-okay…”
The white aura began to rise like incense from the jewel in the Hermit’s hand.
It moved in accordance with the Hermit’s intention, heading toward the two locked in combat, entering their noses and mouths.
At that moment, their bodies froze. Their eyes gradually dulled, and strength drained from their limbs.
Plop. Charlotte collapsed helplessly.
Following suit, Cecilia lost her balance and crumbled to the ground.
The chaos quieted as instantly as it had erupted.
As expected of the Hermit. She might seem like a total dork, but she was still the boss of the Seven Lairs.
“U-uh… Was that the right thing to do?”
The Hermit looked up at me with wide eyes. Her trembling fingers seemed incredibly anxious.
I placed a hand on her shoulder to assure her. She flinched at the contact.
“You did well.”
“Hehe…”
The Hermit scratched the back of her neck awkwardly.
She seemed pleased, her fox ears perked up.
I watched over the fallen two, reflecting on past events.
Ten years ago and the Magic Overrun—what a wild mess! They were so caught up in their own grievances they didn’t even notice me.
What a furious fight it would’ve been if I hadn’t gotten involved!
‘Who the heck would be scared enough to want to live like this?’
I nearly ended up dead.
If the fight had continued, it would only have been a matter of time before the dungeon crumbled.
I experienced the feeling of being a shrimp caught in a whale fight.
“Whew… that was close.”
I heard Isabella’s voice, who had finally made her way over.
She sighed in relief.
“Kiririk. I thought Balutak was going to die.”
“To take down those two so easily. Truly worthy of the boss’s recognition…”
Balutak and Estizel also chimed in.
He used to look imposing, and now he was staring at the Hermit with admiration.
The Hermit, on the other hand, was grinning from ear to ear at their praise.
Unintentionally showcasing the Hermit’s strength may have turned out to be a good thing.
‘If anything, she’s the real boss here.’
Sometimes, I even trick myself into thinking I’m the boss of the Seven Lairs.
The Hermit usually acted so clueless it contributed to the confusion.
‘By the way…’
[Lv. 90 (MAX!)]
Seeing Charlotte’s level made me ponder.
The deep pink color implied maximum affection, but I couldn’t be sure of that.
It’s not like I had flirted with her; this was probably something born from my subconscious.
“Boss? Should I wake up just the subcommander?”
If I woke them both, they would undoubtedly end up fighting again.
Leaving Charlotte be could lead to her Magic Overrun, just as the Hermit had said.
“Yeah. Just wake Charlotte.”
If Charlotte experienced a Magic Overrun, it would truly be disastrous.
It would likely cause even more devastation than a fight with Cecilia.
The Hermit withdrew her mana and approached Charlotte.
My gaze stayed fixated on Charlotte’s back.
…What’s going on?
Up until now, Charlotte’s level had glowed a deep pink, the brightest of them all.
But suddenly, that pink was overshadowed by a dark black.
It was no ordinary darkness. That deep black far exceeded a mere death threat.
‘Why me?’
In her subconscious, Charlotte feared me.
To be precise, love and fear coexisted within her.
In the trauma reproduced, did I try to kill Charlotte?
‘…Just because of that?’
It would be enough to calm myself with the realization that it was merely a hallucination.
Even if her emotional state was unstable, I figured Charlotte could discern reality well enough.
Like oil and water, love and fear were polar opposites.
When just comparing the depths of the two colors, neither could be said to surpass the other.
It was certain. Charlotte loved me just as much as she feared me.
The thought naturally continued.
Her affection for me was the very source of her fear.
I could only vaguely grasp it, and yet, I couldn’t definitively conclude.
“…Eh?”
It was at that very moment that the Hermit paused in her tracks.
Crackle!
Sparks flew from Charlotte’s body.
A fleeting thought that I had misseen flickered away instantly.
Crackle—!
Once again, sparks erupted.
As if it were a precursor, the ground began to tremble.
Even I, unable to sense the mana, could feel that something was amiss.
“Ugh…?”
The Hermit took a step back, her face paling.
Sparks continued to leap from Charlotte’s body as swirling black mana enveloped her. The small flare of mana had completely engulfed her.
Before long, Charlotte’s body floated in mid-air. The surrounding mana began to grow larger, spiraling out of control.
In a blink, everything around us was threatened to be incinerated. It was practically a disaster.
A Magic Overrun.
Even witnessing it, I couldn’t deny it.
“W-why is this happening already…?”
“What’s going on?”
“I don’t know! Ahhh! Everyone, evacuate now!”
The Hermit flailed her arms in panic.
The three of us, who had been standing there in shock, hurriedly distanced ourselves from Charlotte.
Rumble!
White and black mana surged from the Hermit. As the shockwaves hit her, her long hair and tail stood upright.
“We have to kill her! Otherwise, we’ll all die! The dungeon’s going to turn to ashes!”
The Hermit was the boss of the Seven Lairs. Despite her usual indecisiveness, she made a decisive call when it counted.
And this was that moment. If we didn’t kill Charlotte in the midst of her Magic Overrun, we would all fall.
With each passing second, the damage would only worsen, making even a slight hesitation a dangerous move.
The Hermit was fully aware of that fact.
“Don’t kill her.”
I, too, agreed with the Hermit intellectually.
If Charlotte underwent a Magic Overrun, eliminating her right away would make the most sense.
Yet, it wasn’t my head but my heart that moved my body.
“I’ll handle it, so evacuate everyone.”
“…Without killing her?”
“Right.”
“Are you out of your mind?”
The Hermit’s eyes widened in shock.
I understood her reaction. I couldn’t even understand my own logic.
While I wanted to save her, the stakes were far too high for action that put my life on the line.
“Don’t worry. I’ll manage it.”
“No… You might die doing this…”
“Don’t doubt me. I’m the road of the Seven Lairs and your boss.”
Despite my words, I was more worried about me.
There was only one way to halt the Magic Overrun without killing the sorceress.
To leap into the surge of mana with my entire being.
If I dove into the center of the overrun and fought back, the torrent would gradually settle down, but most wouldn’t live to tell the tale.
In the end, they’d simply burn up like moths to a flame.
“There’s no time. Leave the rest to me and evacuate everyone.”
Dual anti-mana rings enveloped my body as a mana eater surrounded me like a barrier.
Even this was hardly enough to stave off Charlotte’s Magic Overrun.
It would help some, but it wouldn’t guarantee my survival.
Yet, I couldn’t just let Charlotte die.
Having endured numerous of Calandas’ large-scale spells, I might not have been entirely sure, but I reassured myself it was worth trying.
It was true that I had affection for Charlotte.
Still, if it came to questioning whether that bond was profound enough to risk my life…
‘…Just like before.’
Even back then, when Calandas had tried to kill Charlotte, I had tried to protect her with my own life.
Looking back now, all my doubts from that choice remained intact.
Being human, I valued my own life above everything.
What on earth was this mere compassion? Knowing I could die, was I really ready to sacrifice myself?
“Haa…”
A sigh escaped my lips, a coldness creeping in.
My feet were already moving toward Charlotte.