A storm surged. There was no grand principle to it. The release of mana that Excalibur was holding just turned the surrounding area upside down.
The body that had been falling through the air floated back up. A flash of light burst forth, large enough to illuminate the land beyond.
“Ugh… G, Guh…”
I couldn’t come to my senses because of the gale blowing from the sword I threw. I was tossed and turned in midair.
And after that.
I looked down at the ground I could see after all the storms had swept through the area.
“…Huh.”
I couldn’t help but call it a catastrophe.
Starting from the point I had shot it from, a crater like one a dragon had bitten into the earth was carved out, and not even a drop of blood could be seen on the surrounding area from any monster corpses.
‘T, the barrier!’
I suddenly realized and turned my gaze to the barrier.
──The barrier was intact. No, there was some damage. The outer surface of the wall hit by the storm was scratched like it had been clawed at.
I had shot it from a distance, expecting the might of Excalibur, and it was still like this. It wasn’t much damage though.
“Alright, as long as I land safely.”
Falling from a high altitude, I spread my hands. I planned to create shields to land on, just as I had done before. I would make several and descend like steps to minimize the impact of the fall.
…But why won’t it Weaving?
I stared blankly at my hands as nothing appeared.
…Hmm.
I’ve used up all my mana.
“Excalibur swallowed up not only Penelope’s fabric but all the mana inside me as well.”
I hadn’t expected that. It was my first time using it.
What to do? I could probably manage a few Weavings if I pushed myself, but then I’d just faint from mana depletion again.
And a couple of Weavings wouldn’t be nearly enough to reach the ground from here…
“…Oh.”
This is really bad.
I looked around without thinking.
I checked the people on the barrier. My gaze fell on Ludwig, who was the highest up.
Just then, he was also looking at me. He was looking at me as if I were some kind of strange creature, but that wasn’t what was important.
I smiled at Ludwig. It was a sign of camaraderie. And then I mouthed the words to him.
-Help me.
Responding to my words, Ludwig’s mouth moved.
-Are you insane?
* * *
Frondier was held in the air by Ludwig’s magic. He floated over, like a towel hanging on a clothesline.
“Ah, thank you. I owe you my life.”
That was the first thing Frondier said as he touched down on the barrier and stood properly.
Ludwig had a lot he wanted to say but held back for the moment. There was a more pressing question.
“So, what now?”
“Huh?”
“It’s good you made it back, but what are we going to do now? It’s great that you blasted those monsters away with, what was it, a bombing? But thanks to that, the barrier here is in jeopardy. It’s not a matter of left or right anymore. What will we do if the monsters come again? Are you going to launch another bombing?”
Bombing, bombing, huh.
Frondier quite liked the sound of that. Fireworks followed by bombing, huh. I’ll have to call it that from now on.
“Of course not. There’s a reason I went beyond the barrier.”
“Going outside, huh… You mean you’re the one that brought that bombardment?”
“Oh, that was just a side effect.”
A side effect?
Not only did he wipe out the Outside monster’s entire army, he even razed the surrounding area, and that was just a side effect?
“This is the real thing.”
Saying so, Frondier placed his hand on the barrier. Mana surged from his body.
… Mana?
“No, wait a minute.”
Ludwig realized something and tried to stop Frondier, but he was too late.
The portion that Frondier’s hand touched began to change.
The scratches disappeared, and the cracks were filled in. The faded color of the weathered wall regained its vibrancy.
“… What, this.”
The changes gradually spread from the spot where Frondier had placed his hand. It expanded more and more, eventually catching the attention of the others.
Scattered stones reassembled themselves. Collapsed pillars rose back up.
The barrier was returning to its former glory, as if it had just been built. The sight was the very picture of ‘restoration.’
“Wow…”
Someone gasped, and it rippled through the crowd.
A sight more akin to a miracle than magic. Some people even sank to the ground and gaped.
“Y-you, your true identity is really,”
Ludwig was about to speak, unable to contain his awe at the sight.
“… Ah.”
Frondier muttered.
“Am I an idiot?”
Thud.
And then Frondier collapsed. The restoration stopped.
Wh-what happened? Ludwig rushed over to check on Frondier.
“… Mana depletion, huh? That’s why I tried to stop you.”
Frondier, who had barely managed to use magic to catch himself from falling out of the sky, had used up all his mana.
There was no way he could perform grand magic like ‘Restoration’ now.
“You really are an idiot, aren’t you?”
Ludwig’s admiration had completely vanished.