[V12C29] Falling For You Each Time

Theodore stared up at Monica in surprise, with Gluttonous Zoe held against his stomach.

That said, the artifact kept spewing out shadows even with its contractor distracted. The black mist on the ground expanded at a steady rate, and a shadowy fence prevented their attacks from reaching Theodore.

Isaac decided to distance himself from Theodore for the time being. Meanwhile, Nero concealed himself within the mist.

They now had a new objective just as crucial as preventing the summoning of the Dark Spirit King: stopping the water dragons from invading Sazandol.

Isaac considered whether or not this required the use of his trump card, Wildianu, but he was interrupted by the arrival of newcomers.

“Freeze!”

Cyril shouted as he leaped out from the shadow of a warehouse, with a white weasel on his shoulder. He was accompanied by a blonde woman, the ice spirit Ashelpikeh.

His spell erected a wall of ice at the boundary between the harbor and the sea, preventing the advance of the water dragons. Meanwhile, Pikeh quickly froze the ones that had already made it to land.

Why were they here? Before Isaac could voice that question, Cyril rushed over and shouted, “Are you okay, Isaac…!”

Isaac flinched back in surprise as Cyril continued in a somewhat embarrassed tone.

“…san.”

Isaac…san.

Isaac’s first thought was “Oi!” and he had to internally shout “this blockhead” three times before he could calm down. He ended up replying to Cyril with a particularly unfriendly look in his eyes.

“Was that supposed to be a joke?” Isaac asked. “Do you not understand how dire the situation is?”

“M-My deepest apologies, Walker-dono!”

Unfortunately, this only widened the distance between their hearts even further.

While Isaac and Cyril were engaged in this meaningless exchange, Silas managed to regain his posture on the opposite side of Theodore.

He raised his spear of lightning and shouted “Thanks, Silent-neesan!” at Monica.

His thunderous voice caused Monica to let out a surprised gasp of “Egyufu!?” as she descended from the sky on Glenn’s back.

“Eh, um…? M-M-Me…?” Monica stuttered.

“Yeah! He’s praising you, Monica!” Glenn answered in his usual tone.

“Oh, um, okay…”

Monica’s shaken state made it obvious that her memories had not returned.

(Of course! Gluttonous Zoe only stole her memories, so her knowledge of magic remained intact…!)

Theodore simply stood there and watched everything play out. The shadows from Gluttonous Zoe had transformed into a black birdcage that protected him from all angles. Perhaps he intended to buy time until the Spirit King Summoning could proceed.

Meanwhile, Silas held his spear at the ready, looking for a possible opening to strike.

Monica and Glenn landed nearby, but Isaac suppressed his urge to rush over to Monica’s side, instead glaring at Cyril again.

“Cyril… Why did you bring Monica here?”

His question was practically a growl, dripping with genuine fury.

The unexpected anger caused Cyril to flinch back. However, he quickly composed himself, straightened his back, and answered with confidence.

“She came of her own will.”

Was this another joke?

Her own will? The frightened and broken Monica came to this battleground of her own volition? Did Cyril truly intend to say that?

In a fit of rage, Isaac grabbed Cyril by the collar and shouted, “I told you to protect her!”

“I will protect her!”

Cyril shouted back with equal power. To think that Cyril, of all people, would shout back at Isaac.

“I will protect Monica!” Cyril continued. “And I will save you too!”

For a moment, everything went white before Isaac’s eyes.

Why was Cyril always like this? Isaac felt like stomping his feet in frustration.

“This has happened time and time again… You always interpret my orders in an unintended manner, then go off on a complete tangent.”

“Why did you think I wouldn’t rush to your aid in your crisis?!”

Cyril seemed desperate. Actually, he was always desperate.

Desperate to serve. Desperate to devote himself to the liar that was Isaac.

Despite Isaac holding him by the collar with gritted teeth, Cyril continued with confidence.

“This happened because you underestimated my loyalty!”

Isaac could not help but clench his teeth, with such force that the pain gave him a headache.

But right before Isaac could yell his response, he noticed someone tugging at his sleeve.

It was Monica, after descending from Glenn’s back.

“I-I-I asked to come… to help you, I-I-Ike…!”

Isaac released Cyril and stared down at Monica.

She was still trembling and stuttering. Her complexion was just awful. Even so, she did not avert her eyes from Isaac.

Despite being so scared of Isaac before, Monica was holding her staff and staring right into his eyes.

“I-I-I came… to help my friend!!”

Isaac felt a pounding in his chest. He remembered this feeling.

When Isaac was on the verge of execution, one timid girl had gathered the courage to challenge the Supreme Council. And now, she had steadied her trembling legs and rushed to his rescue again.

Even though her memories were gone.

Even though she was utterly terrified of people.

She had believed Isaac’s words about being her delinquent friend, and put on the peridot necklace.

Feeling a warmth building up in his eyes, Isaac raised his right hand and clutched his bangs.

(…I’m falling for you all over again. How could I not?)

Isaac was a complete wreck, with his various emotions running wild. His relief at Silas’s safety. His anger at Cyril. His love for Monica.

That said, he also understood that he did not have the time to reorganize himself.

——Never stop thinking. Always assume the worst and do your best.

Isaac took a deep breath.

(Theodore will not attack unless we initiate, because he doesn’t have any mana to waste. Since he can’t handle Gluttonous Zoe with his dragon claws, he likely won’t return to black dragon form. However, the possibility rises once he is cornered. Also, we need to watch out for him transforming into a small animal. Cyril’s ice wall will last a few minutes at most, so it’s only a matter of time before the water dragons invade…)

Isaac drew two daggers from his waist, then pointed one at Theodore.

“That man is the black dragon that devoured and assimilated Theodore Maxwell!”

Monica, Cyril, and Glenn were completely stunned, which was only natural.

“Do not give him a chance to transform back!” Isaac continued. “Cyril, you stay here and protect Monica! Have your ice spirit reinforce the wall, and focus on keeping the water dragons at bay! Dudley-kun, you hit Theodore from the sky!”

Cyril responded to Isaac’s orders immediately.

“Pikeh, you heard him!”

“Got it.”

Pikeh used her magic to reinforce the wall erected by Cyril. Then, she began launching ice swords to fend off the larger dragons trying to climb over it.

A few seconds later, Glenn soared back into the sky with flight magic.

Meanwhile, Monica was trembling and hugging her staff, apparently surprised at the volume of Isaac’s voice.

Isaac turned to her and began speaking with a softer tone.

“Monica, make sure you use spells with high mana density. Ordinary magic won’t get through those shadows.”

“O-Okay!”

Monica nodded vigorously, aiming her staff at Theodore and unleashing doubly-reinforced spears of wind. Though not as powerful as Spirit King Summoning, her spells managed to chip away at the cage protecting Theodore.

In the meantime, Silas was attacking the cage with his spear of lightning, having closed the distance using flight magic.

Isaac was about to run over and back Silas up, until he heard Cyril shout his name.

“Walker-dono!”

“My friends call me Ike, you know.”

“…? Yes, I am aware.”

Perhaps he was aware, but he didn’t truly understand.

Isaac silently shouted “this blockhead” three times again. Maybe it was about time to start saying it out loud.

Completely unaware of Isaac’s inner turmoil, Cyril began reporting in his usual manner.

“There is a green gem at the keyhole equivalent part of Gluttonous Zoe, which appears to be for preventing backflow. We may be able to regain what was taken if we destroy that.”

A sensible plan. Their objective was to reclaim what the artifact stole, so aiming for that spot sounded like the most effective approach.

Cyril had not mentioned this information at the Mage Association——meaning he researched and obtained it in the short time afterward.

Isaac lifted the corner of his lips into a slight smile.

“Well done, Cyril. As expected of my right-hand man.”

“I’m honored, Your Highness! …Oops.”

Cyril quickly covered his mouth, but it was far too late.

Isaac returned a sharp glare, which packed serious pressure with his current face.

“Call me Ike. If you make that mistake again, I’ll start using honorifics with you.”

Leaving it at that, Isaac ran off with daggers in hand.

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