Being the way the game is, there were bound to be opponents that didn’t directly challenge the protagonist physically but had used different methods.
This was to make sure that the developers could add a mystery element to the game. However, at this point, I doubt that it was simply a game.
Even now, something inside me feels different. From the moment I woke up, I felt like something inside me was a lot more complete.
Whether the way I think or the way I feel….It is hard to pinpoint. But, even then, the feeling inside me, you can call it a hunch, is saying that I think the world is not that simple, and there are many things that I have yet to know about it.
In any case, now that hunch needs to be taken to the shelf for the time being, as I need an object to focus on.
‘The mana flow…..’
From what I could see from the environment, the direction of the mana, and the continuous energy supply somewhere, what Irina and Sylvie had said all pointed at one thing.
When every piece of information was revealed right before us, there weren’t many things that we could do.
“You….”
At that moment, Irina’s voice entered my head. “Were you able to deduce anything?”
She asked with her eyes sparkling. It seemed that even though the fog of her dream-like state was lingering in her head, she was still able to act rationally.
It was also easy to understand why she was depending on me for the answer. In her eyes right now, my previous two achievements regarding theoretical things should be on the front, and they are giving her a high evaluation.
Her thoughts were not necessarily wrong either.
But at the same time, there are many questions regarding this. If it was that demon, how was Irina able to wake me up?
Even in the game, the sole reason Ethan was able to defeat it was because of the powers he had awakened in the later times of the second year’s first semester. Just like Sylvie, Ethan was also immune to the changes in his psyche.
The spell the demon used wasn’t effective on him; therefore, Sylvie and Ethan both embarked on the small journey to bring it down.
It was also the event where the two got closer, and Sylvie started becoming a part of the main cast. However, Ethan was not there now, and only Sylvie was awake.
After she had woken Irina up, which was probably the rightest choice she could make in that situation, Irina decided to test the waters.
But from that point on, everything is blank.
What did she do when she entered into my consciousness using 「Phantasmal Transfer」 spell? I knew what that spell did, and certainly, she must be in my dream.
Another important question.
What did she see?
Did she see about my past? The past that was about her and about Earth? Because if that is the case…
I didn’t want to do what I needed to do.
‘From her reaction, that doesn’t seem to be the case.’
I could see with my eyes. Unless Irina is the world’s best actor who can control even the micromovements of her body, any reaction would never be missed by my eyes. Therefore, it is safe to assume that whatever she had seen, there was something that she couldn’t directly remember.
‘This also corresponds to what I had experienced, so everything is fine.’
At least it should be fine. If my existence here is in danger, I need to take extreme measures, which I have never wished to do.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Irina asked, seemingly uncomfortable with my gaze. At her reaction, I understood that I had been looking at her with my thoughts wandering around for a while.
“My bad….I was lost in thoughts.” I replied.
“…..It is fine….I am a bit shaken as well.”
It seemed she connected my behavior to the fact that I had just woken up from that state and was bombarded with huge amounts of information. Certainly, if that was any other normal human out there, her assumption would be correct.
But sadly for her, it was not true in this case, though this assumption is something I will gladly accept.
“So…” She continued. “What do you think?”
As she asked once again, I decided to answer with a mix of truth and lies. Revealing that I knew too much about this could make her suspicious since the source of my information is something that is almost impossible to reveal.
That was the truth. After going through her calculations in almost an instant, I was sure that she hadn’t made any mistake.
Irina looked relieved by my words, a hint of satisfaction in her eyes. “I’m glad to hear that. But there’s still so much we don’t know. What’s the next step, Astron?”
This point was important.
‘If I want to confront this demon, no matter what, I can’t do it alone right now.’
Even if that entity is not at its peak right now, it is still a formidable enemy, especially against something like me.
‘Since it has almost a whole army underneath.’
Considering the fact that, in the game, it was able to control all those souls as he wished…..It was a type of enemy that wasn’t compatible with me.
‘Phantoms are not that hard to deal with if they are alone, but once they are much higher in numbers, things will get very hard.’
I needed someone to come with me. A person who could both act as a decoy and could face an army on their own.
“We need to focus on locating the source of this entity’s influence within Phantom’s Land. The mana flow indicates a central point, and that’s where we’ll find answers.”
I replied, directing the conversation just as I wished.
Sylvie, who had been silently observing the conversation, spoke up, “But how do we confront this entity? And what about the others who are still trapped in this dream-like state?”
Sylvie’s words made sense. When she was able to keep herself calm, she could become someone valuable. I guess the future Saintess can not be just a dumb girl, either.
Well, I already knew she would ask this anyway.
“First, we need to pinpoint the entity’s location,” I replied while making eye contact with Irina. Hearing my answer, she lowered her head for a second and then widened her eyes.
“The mana…” It seems she was also able to realize what I meant. Her reaction showed that she wasn’t paying attention to the environment for the time being, thanks to her being a bit shaken, and with my indication, she realized what was happening around us.
“You can feel it as well, right?” I asked.
“Yes.” She nodded her head. “The flow of energy.”The words she had spoken also made Sylvie realize. After all, Sylvie also possessed the ability to sense any extraordinary energy.
“Oh, my lord….” She gasped after looking at the amount of energy that was sucked. “This is….”
Irina looked at Sylvie with a serious expression. “The amount of energy is so high that it could maybe even rival my mother’s energy.” Her words conveyed the gravity of the situation, emphasizing the formidable power emanating from the entity’s influence within Phantom’s Land.
Sylvie’s eyes widened in realization, understanding the immense challenge we were about to face.
The comparison to Irina’s mother, someone undoubtedly powerful in terms of magical energy, heightened the sense of urgency.
“We need to act swiftly and cautiously,” Irina continued, her gaze shifting between Sylvie and me. “The enemy is formidable, and we must be prepared for any challenges it might throw our way.”
Hearing from her, I thought this was how the main cast of the game needed to be. She may be arrogant and a bit annoying sometimes, but Irina has the necessary features to be the main character of a game. ʀᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛʀs ᴀᴛ o(v)elꜰre.et
Even now, instead of thinking of running away, she is trying to look for possible ways to beat the enemy.
I could see from her eyes, her body language, and her small shakiness of words that she was nervous and scared. She probably thinks the chances of us doing something is not very high, but at the same time, she also probably knows that we don’t have any other choice.
So, in the face of the only option, which is highly likely to lead us to death, she still doesn’t escape from it.
‘Well, this should be fine.’
And I wanted to see how much she could improve, for how long she could go.
“What do you think we should do, Astron?” Irina asked her question, carrying both urgency and anticipation.
I turned to Sylvie first. “Sylvie, how much of your power remains?”
Sylvie lowered her head. “I used the last of my power to open the path for Irina. There isn’t much left.”
I could already see that with my eyes. The power Sylvie is using is heavily related to her trait [First Lord’s Authority], and it is not exactly mana. It is a Divine Power that could be used both for healing someone and dealing with someone.
But, since she had just recently awakened, she had yet to get any opportunity to cultivate that power enough to use excessively like this, so this was already within my expectations.
A moment of silence followed as Irina absorbed the weight of Sylvie’s words. The challenges ahead seemed even more daunting with our limited resources; at least, this will be what she will be perceiving.
‘This is not bad either.’
I thought. The fact that Sylvie didn’t have any power left meant she wouldn’t be able to join the fight, and that was better.
‘Considering that with her, I can’t show my full power.’
If I could, I wanted to avoid her finding out about my true identity for the time being, so this situation worked in my favor anyway.
‘Also, she has her own job.’
Raising my hand, I gently patted Sylvie on her head. She looked a little down, probably feeling useless with her depleted powers.
“No time to be down,” I said. “You have your own job to do as well.”
Sylvie raised her head, looking at me curiously. “Really? What can I do now?”
“Someone needs to block the flow of energy.”
Sylvie’s eyes widened with realization. “And how can I do that?”
I pointed to the herbs we had brought with us. Even though I hadn’t foreseen such things to happen, I at least prepared for some cases where Phantoms went out of control, and now it was time for them to be used.
“Use those. If you spread them on the bodies of those lying around, the souls will be forced to attach to the bodies, making them impossible to move freely.”
Sylvie nodded, understanding her role in the upcoming challenge.
It was a simple yet crucial task, and I knew Sylvie had the capability to handle it. Even with a little bit of her remaining powers, she may discover how to recover that on her own.
Well, even if she couldn’t do it, that was fine, but this would certainly make things a little bit easier for us since the phantoms wouldn’t join us in the fight.
“And as for our case….” I turned my attention to Irina. “We will confront the enemy.”
But it seemed she still needed a bit of encouragement.
‘If that is what you need, it won’t be hard.’
After all, I knew what could drive Irina hardest, the reason for her arrogant behavior and anything.