Chapter 32: Gratitude

[Rui, what are you doing?]

I’m studying magic.

[Hmm… whose mana are you using?]

Master’s, of course… oof.

[I told you not to do that. If you keep relying on my mana, what will you do when you’re on your own?]

I just won’t leave… teehee.

[Don’t be absurd. This environment is too harsh for you. You have to leave someday.]

…

[So until then, let’s find a way to supplement your naturally low mana reserves.]

Yes, Master.

A memory surfaced. A conversation with her master. Exhausted and near collapse after navigating a blizzard-swept mountain, Rui had stumbled upon her. She had taken Rui to her home.

Rui had begged her to become her magic teacher, but she had refused. Rui’s body, or rather, this body, had far too little mana to wield magic effectively.

But Rui had persisted, wheedled, and eventually become her student.

[Rui, what have you been doing? Look at your face! Filthy child.]

cough, splutter I was working on the assignment you gave me, Master.

[That book…? I kept it locked away in the vault.]

I stole it. Ow!

[You little…! Why did you need that book?]

I’m researching different types of mana. If there are multiple types, maybe I can use one of them.

[Hmm, an interesting hypothesis. Let’s see, what have you found so far?]

I was looking at moon mana after elemental mana.

[Moon mana is primarily used by witches. You won’t be able to utilize it, you don’t know the method.]

Maybe I’m a witch.

[…You have the face of a little girl, not a witch.]

Just you wait and see.

[We shall see.]

Her master helped her, and eventually, they found a compatible mana type.

Star mana.

Mana from the far reaches of the universe, perhaps the purest form of mana.

Rui couldn’t store much of it in her body, but there was potential..

[Rui, star mana is incredibly rare.]

Rarer than moon mana or sun mana?

[Yes. Most of it burns up in the atmosphere. Very little reaches the ground.]

Hmm. Then what if I collected it from the sky?

[Eh?]

I could use earthbound star mana to launch a device into the sky, and then power it with the star mana up there.

[That’s… an idea I’ve never considered.]

Of course. It’s based on satellites.

[Satellites…? Regardless, if you manage to do that, there’s something you need to be aware of. You won’t be able to use conventional magic.]

Conventional magic?

[The kind battle mages use. Like how pure water can’t sustain plant life.]

What a strange analogy. But I understand. It’s fine.

[I see. Then let’s build it together. I don’t want to hear my student whining about not being able to use magic.]

When did I ever whine…?

Rui had successfully launched her pseudo-satellite, which she named Ultimate Star-spear. It had been her biggest project since arriving in this world, and the subsequent days spent bedridden were a small price to pay.

Originally, it was designed solely to collect and transmit star mana to her. But at her master’s suggestion, she added an offensive capability.

However, since it consumed the stored star mana, recharging it took a considerable amount of time. It wasn’t something she could use freely.

Thanks to the Star-spear, Rui could finally conduct proper magic research. And the time had come to leave her master’s “nest.”

[It’s time for you to go.]

Yes, Master.

[When we first met, you were a stubborn little thing. I’m glad learning magic has calmed you down a bit.]

Yes, I’m much calmer than you now.

[Retract that statement, you brat.]

…

[…Rui, take this.]

What is it?

[It’s a project for you to work on. And a parting gift from your master.]

A robe. Thank you.

[You’re welcome. And… come visit anytime. You’ll always be welcome here.]

Yes. Thank you.

“…Master,” Rui murmured, her eyes fluttering open.

She stared at the unfamiliar yet familiar ceiling. The ceiling of her room in Count Alphares’s mansion.

‘I remember…’

The last thing she saw were fifty fortresses rising from the ground.

What happened after that?

‘…We must have won.’

Otherwise, she wouldn’t be lying here peacefully. She felt weak and drained, likely from mana exhaustion.

“I should call someone… huh?”

As she sat up, she realized her right hand was clasped in someone else’s. She turned her head and saw someone slumped over in a chair beside her bed, fast asleep.

“…Aswell?”

It was the hero.

Had he been nursing her back to health?

A closer look suggested otherwise. The neatly folded towel was clearly the work of her assigned maid.

That meant he must have come to visit her.

‘But why…?’

Why was he asleep here, holding her hand?

She didn’t pull her hand away, not wanting to wake him. He must be exhausted after the continuous battles.

He wouldn’t be sleeping in such an uncomfortable position otherwise.

‘…Warm,’ she thought, then corrected herself, ‘…or cool.’

Either way, his hand wasn’t rough like a seasoned swordsman’s. It was surprisingly soft, comfortable to hold.

She didn’t know how long he had been holding her hand, but the fact that he hadn’t let go in his sleep spoke volumes.

‘…I entrusted the Star-spear to him,’ she remembered.

The Ultimate Star-spear was a secret, unknown to any magical institution in the Empire. To avoid confusion and accusations, she had asked Aswell to take credit for it.

And she had used all of the Star-spear’s stored mana to destroy the fortresses. The sudden drain of mana, which was linked to her own, had caused her to collapse.

‘It worked,’ she thought, relieved.

She hadn’t wanted to use the Star-spear’s offensive capabilities. Not only did it leave her incapacitated, it also prevented her from using magic properly until her mana reserves recovered sufficiently.

But she had no choice.

‘I didn’t realize the Twilight Fortress wasn’t the end…’

In the original story, Baal, enraged by his defeat, had flooded the area with a lake of blood. But this time, he had been preparing to summon more fortresses from the demon realm.

‘That’s why the second bloodline vampire wasn’t present…’

Rui stopped thinking. Her head hurt.

They had won. That was all that mattered.

‘And if all the fortresses were destroyed, that’s a huge blow to the Demon King.’

Vampires had been involved in both major events of the latter half of the original story: the hero’s party’s journey to the demon realm and the Demon King’s invasion of the human world.

But now, they were practically out of the picture.

And it was all thanks to the hero’s party trusting her.

Rui gently brushed Aswell’s hair with her left hand. Was it naturally curly, or was it just messy from sleep?

His soft hair tickled her fingers.

Sounds of activity drifted in from the mansion grounds, but the room itself was silent.

Just her and Aswell.

Rui gazed at his sleeping face.

Thump.

“…?”

Was irregular heartbeat a side effect of mana depletion?

She couldn’t recall seeing it in any of her research. Perhaps this was a new symptom worth reporting to the academic community.

Thump.

Her heart raced at the thought of the recognition she would receive.

‘Sorry, everyone…,’ she thought, a mischievous glint in her eyes.

If she had destroyed all those fortresses, she deserved a little indulgence.

Rui continued to watch Aswell. A few minutes later, he stirred.

“Hmm… Rui…?” he mumbled sleepily.

“Yes, Aswell,” Rui replied softly.

“…You’re awake! How are you feeling?” he asked, his eyes widening as he fully woke up.

“I’m fine,” Rui reassured him.

“That’s good. If you need anything, just let me know. And…”

His gaze dropped to their clasped hands. He quickly tried to pull away.

“Ah, sorry. I didn’t realize…”

“Aswell,” Rui interrupted, tightening her grip on his hand and looking him in the eye.

“Thank you.”

“…Huh?”

“For trusting me. And for saving me.”

“…,” Aswell looked at her, speechless.

“And… it might be a little late, but thank you for accepting me into the hero’s party,” Rui continued, finally expressing the gratitude she had been suppressing.

She couldn’t have said those words before, not without the emotional vulnerability brought on by the battle.

“…I’m the one who should be thanking you,” Aswell replied, his gaze serious.

Rui smiled.