“I felt it earlier while I was fighting. When the flas from your body surged and burned away that witch’s power, I sensed my magic flowing into you and suddenly losing its strength. At that mont, I wondered what kind of balance this was. If you can create flas that only burn magic, it would make sense why it felt that way.”
“…I have such an ability?”
Flas that burn nothing but magic, that was what Lucy claid I had used, and I muttered in a daze.
Regardless of the circumstances, it was clear that I created flas that only burned magic.
I had witnessed with my own eyes the flas from my body scorching Beatrice’s abilities and the magic that filled Yoon Si-woo’s body.
Yet, I still couldn’t shake off my bewildernt.
I hadn’t even known I possessed such a power, nor had I consciously employed it.
As I wore a blank expression, Lucy looked at , clearly exasperated.
“What’s with that reaction? Are you seriously saying you didn’t even realize you had such an ability?”
“…Well, that’s true. I didn’t. I thought all I could do was produce flas.”
Your words made feel sowhat foolish, and I responded slightly peeved.
Couldn’t that be the case?
It’s not like there’s a status window that says, “You have this ability hidden inside you!” How was I supposed to know such a thing?
But Lucy, as if it was unbelievable, continued.
“It’s easier to be unaware of it. In my case, I instinctively realized I’d gained that ability as soon as it awakened and was able to use it.”
“Ugh… Is that usually the case?”
“That’s the norm. After all, that girl we just fought suddenly learned how to fly in mid-battle, didn’t she?”
“Right, that reminds …”
Hearing that made feel a bit like an idiot for not being able to harness my own ability, so I couldn’t help but feel down.
However, after watching for a mont, Lucy added another thought.
“But… now that I think about it, you’re far too special to be considered an ordinary witch, so it might be understandable.”
“…A special case?”
I tilted my head in confusion, and Lucy asked.
“You said you’ve always believed your ability was about controlling fire, right?”
“Yeah, I could naturally use my fire manipulation ability…”
“Here cos the question. That ability to control flas, is it truly your own power?”
I couldn’t help but feel puzzled by Lucy’s words.
If manipulating flas wasn’t my ability, then what was?
But after hearing her next statent, I finally understood what Lucy was trying to convey.
“To be precise, the ability to control flas isn’t technically yours. It originally belonged to the Witch of Rage, Evangeline.”
“Ah.”
She was right.
The fire was not mine; it was originally Evangeline’s power.
I had sohow ended up being able to use her ability.
“I’ve been observing you alongside Si-woo for quite a while, so I’m aware of the general situation. You’re an unprecedented and very special case. The fact that a separate consciousness exists within the body of a witch! I wouldn’t have dared to dream that such a thing was even possible without seeing you directly.”
Hearing that made realize just how exceptional my situation truly was.
While it might resemble a state of sleep now, within one body, there were two personalities. No, considering the original Scarlet Evande’s identity, it wasn’t just dual personalities—it was more like three.
“I’m not sure how your body is exactly constituted, but it’s likely very close to that of the Witch of Rage. It stands to reason that you might be able to use her abilities so easily.”
“So, I can handle Evangeline’s powers because we share the sa body?”
“The entity that manifests a witch’s abilities is ultimately magic. Since you share the sa heart, it’s most logical to view it as being capable of using the sa power.”
As I nodded at her plausible deduction, Lucy added.
“However, that’s rely the ability inherited from Evangeline, the Witch of Rage. It seems to that the flas that burn magic belong to you as a newly awakened witch.”
“…My ability as a witch?”
“Yes. Witches each awaken their own unique abilities. Have you ever pondered why witches possess such different powers?”
Their overwhelming regenerative abilities like Gluttony, the capacity to manipulate people using insects like Lust, Beatrice and her ability to refuse interference, along with Lucy, who had the power to sever everything, and Evangeline, who could produce flas from her body.
The witch powers I had witnessed so far all seed to be entirely distinct from one another, without even a hint of similarity.
But I hadn’t thought about why that was until now.
However, Lucy now ntioned that she knew the reason.
“Though I can’t be absolutely certain, from my experiences, it seems that witches awaken their abilities based on their own desires. Take for example—I wished to slice rocks with a sword, and one day, this ability awakened within .”
With a sowhat nostalgic tone, Lucy shared her thoughts.
“…Desires.”
And in that mont, her words made reflect on certain things.
For instance, Beatrice seed to have awakened her ability to refuse interference simply because she despised being interfered with.
Evangeline, who had been betrayed and burned at the stake, likely awakened her flas in a yearning to return the anger and pain inflicted on her to others.
While I mulled over the word “desire,” Lucy asked .
“If that’s the case, Scarlet Evande, what did you wish for? What is your desire?”
…If I had a desire, it would be that.
After a mont’s consideration, I finally spoke.
“To protect those precious to .”
As I answered that, Lucy muttered.
“To protect them, huh? To protect implies there’s sothing threatening those dear to you. And that threat, presumably the existence of witches or magic itself, led to the awakening of your power—the flas that burn magic.”
Is that so?
I wondered if I had unconsciously thought and wished that if witches and magic vanished from this world, everyone could live safely and happily.
As I sank into my thoughts, Lucy spoke up once more.
“By the way, realizing you have your own ability but not being aware of it until now is quite a problem. It might be related to having two abilities within one body. No matter how good a sword is, it’s rely decoration if you lack the skill to wield it. Can you handle that ability freely?”
“I’m not sure. I’ve never consciously used it.”
“Hmmm, so it activated unconsciously. Have you ever used that power unconsciously? If so, recalling the thoughts and sensations from that ti might help you find a clue to wielding the ability.”
Unconsciously…
I briefly rifled through my mories at Lucy’s advice.
Even considering it an ability, flas had usually just burst forth spontaneously whenever I felt good or happy.
I thought back to the tis when I had burned magic.
“Ah.”
I suddenly recalled sothing.
When I was driven from the city and fled to the northern forest, Sylvia had co to help , and I spent the night in the forest, tainted by magic.
At that ti, the flas that had erupted from my body uncontrollably had caught onto a tree that had been rotting and covered in magic.
And the very next morning, that tree was resurrected as the World Tree by Sylvia.
Perhaps those flas had burned away the magic that had tainted the World Tree and facilitated its resurrection.
Moreover, thinking along those lines led to another realization.
The Sacred Relic, the Tear of the Ocean, which I acquired after defeating the Witch of Lust.
After acquiring, when I had placed it by my bedside and slept, the magic that had entirely pervaded it had vanished completely when I awoke.
In hindsight, it was truly bizarre for it to have completely lost all its magic just out of nowhere after a good night’s sleep.
It was highly likely that I had subconsciously used my ability to burn away the magic that had tainted the Sacred Relic.
What had I been thinking then?
I couldn’t clearly recall, but I pondered it deeply.
Generally speaking, the flas that burned only magic appeared whenever I felt happiness.
However, I hadn’t felt happy when I saw Yoon Si-woo on the brink of death.
So the condition for triggering the ability wasn’t rely a joyous emotion.
What then was the common ground between the previous incident and this one?
So I thought hard about it.
“…I think I’ve figured it out.”
Surely enough, I was able to discern that commonality soon.
“Did you find sothing of note?”
“Yes. My desire—it’s to protect the ones precious to .”
Most of the ti, the happiness I felt stemd from soone else.
From those who offered kindness and warmth.
I wished for those who made feel such happiness to be happy themselves.
I wished for them to be safe.
But in Yoon Si-woo’s situation, even though I wasn’t happy, I still wished for Yoon Si-woo’s safety.
That was the connection.
“Thus, the trigger for my ability is probably my heart’s desire to protect. However, there would be conditions. For instance—”
Yet the necessary conditions for triggering the ability couldn’t be limited to just that.
After all, I had always hoped for such things.
Hence, the conditions likely arose when that desire beca much stronger.
When I witnessed the flas that didn’t burn in the past, I had looked at Yoon Si-woo as he faced death earlier.
Recalling that emotion lingered in my mind.
“I want to protect. No matter what.”
In that mont, flas erupted from my hand.
A fire that didn’t feel hot.
I realized that from then on, I had co to command that ability freely.
But before I could rejoice in this encouraging fact.
“—Ugh?!”
Suddenly overwheld by strange dizziness, I stumbled and put my hand on the ground.
What’s happening? Is the fatigue from the battle finally catching up to ?
Thinking that, I slowly closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them again.
“…Huh?”
And then I blinked several tis at the strange discomfort I felt.
While I was blinking like that,
“[…It seems you’ve realized how to wield your ability.]”
I heard Lucy’s voice.
“[But… is that so?]”
Her voice was surprisingly grave.
“[Child, your newfound ability to burn magic is surely an exceedingly effective weapon against witches.]”
I slowly turned to the source of her voice.
“[Certainly, for a witch that relies on magic and the essence of life, it would be fatally dangerous.]”
The blade, transford to pure white, reflected my face.
“[Your heart is truly comndable, yet how contradictory.]”
I closed my right eye.
“[Child, rember this.]”
The reflection of my face was visible on the blade.
“[Your ability is poison to witches.]”
Opening my closed eye, I then shut my left eye.
“[And you too, are a witch.]”
I couldn’t help but chuckle to myself.
For I saw nothing at all.
Reviews
All reviews (0)