[V12C39] Worthy of Standing Next to You

The Sazandol harbor was dyed black by mana contamination, and Cyril plunged into those waters with a splash, leaving a pillar of water in his wake. Gluttonous Zoe was still in his hands.

Isaac gritted his teeth. This was such a typical misjudgment for Cyril.

When the Black Dragon of Minerva returned to his original form and looked at Cyril, Isaac immediately understood that Gluttonous Zoe was his target.

Theodore could have easily burned Cyril through the barrier, but he purposely spared him. This was because, for some reason, Theodore wanted to retrieve Gluttonous Zoe.

The solution was simple. Cyril should have handed Gluttonous Zoe to Glenn and told him to fly as far away as possible.

But at the same time, Isaac could easily imagine why Cyril didn’t do that.

(…Because he didn’t want to endanger his junior.)

Cyril would never force a dangerous role upon someone younger than him. The idea probably never even occurred to him.

Isaac cursed internally, but at the periphery of his vision, he saw a young woman with a white weasel on her shoulder diving into the sea. They were the ice spirit and white dragon contracted to Cyril, so they could be entrusted with his rescue.

Next, Isaac glanced at Silas.

The shadow crawling up Silas’s right arm had reached his shoulder.

They had managed to suppress it to some extent with Silas’s lightning magic and Isaac’s water daggers. Even so, it was only a matter of time before it consumed his entire body.

Meanwhile, Theodore was circling above the area where he lost track of Cyril. After a series of growls, he dove straight down. Perhaps he intended to retrieve Gluttonous Zoe from the murky waters.

“Ike, get down!”

Silas thrust his staff forward with his trembling left hand. Then, he performed a shortened incantation for a spell Isaac had never heard before.

“Dragon capture spell… Go!”

A net made of lightning magic spread out above the harbor.

The crackling golden net entwined the black dragon right before he reached the waters. He was like a fly caught in a spiderweb.

“It’s a binding spell designed specifically for dragons. This should buy us some time… Grgh.”

Silas groaned in pain, clutching his right hand. Casting the dragon capture spell had taken a great deal of concentration, which allowed the shadow to consume more of his right arm.

Isaac shaved away the shadow with water-cloaked daggers, taking care to avoid cutting any skin. In the meantime, Glenn had carried Monica over to them using flight magic.

“President! Vice President Cyril fell into the water…!”

Glenn appeared visibly shaken. He might have plunged into the sea after Cyril if he wasn’t responsible for Monica’s safety.

Isaac was just as anxious as Glenn, but he made sure to remain calm. He resisted the urge to save Cyril with his water spirit, because Wildianu still had crucial role to play.

“I saw Cyril’s contracted spirit heading over to help him,” Isaac replied. “We can leave Cyril to her.”

Glenn still looked frustrated. He was probably going to say that he couldn’t leave Cyril like this.

However, Isaac did not give him the chance.

“The black dragon has obtained the power of Gluttonous Zoe,” Isaac explained. “Meanwhile, our two Sages are in no condition to fight. We won’t stand a chance if we keep going like this.”

A black dragon was already a country-level threat on its own, and this one was even worse. Theodore had absorbed a portion of Gluttonous Zoe’s powers, allowing him to survive a mortal wound.

Meanwhile, the Dragon Slayer Mage had lost the use of his right arm, and the Silent Witch was unconscious. They had no means of dealing Theodore a fatal blow.

“Before Sazandol sustains further damage,” Isaac continued. “We need to retreat and seek help from the remaining Sages. Dudley-kun, can I ask you to carry the Dragon Slayer Mage with your flight magic? I’ll take care of Monica.”

“Got it!”

Silas’s right arm required urgent attention before the shadow spread any further. Thus, it was only natural for Glenn to transport him out via flight magic.

After passing Monica to Isaac, Glenn suddenly exclaimed, “Oh right!” and took a handkerchief from his pocket.

The handkerchief’s edges were sewn with splendid lacework, but there was a peculiar pattern drawn on the center.

“Is that a magical tool?” Isaac asked.

“Yeah, the Fairy Handkerchief! It turns into a barrier when infused with mana. Like this…”

Glenn tied the handkerchief tightly around Silas’s shoulder, then infused it with mana.

This created a sealing barrier centered around the handkerchief. The shadow froze upon touching this barrier, so it seemed effective at preventing further corrosion.

“Good call, dude,” Silas said with a pained smile.

“Hehe, no problem.”

Glenn smiled back, then carried Silas on his back with flight magic.

Silas was tall and bulky, so carrying him was no simple task. Glenn seemed to be swaying side to side under the weight.

Despite the somewhat precarious posture, Glenn was glancing intermittently at the sea, likely concerned about Cyril’s well-being. Even so, he didn’t utter a single complaint.

Glenn understood that contacting the other Sages took top priority, and that his flight magic made him the only one capable of doing so.

“Alright, I’ll go first!” Glenn shouted. “Take care, President!”

“Yeah, you too, Dudley-kun,” Isaac replied.

Meanwhile, Silas turned his head to look down on Isaac from Glenn’s back. He was frowning, seemingly unable to find the right words to say.

As always, he became unusually sharp when it came to sniffing out Isaac’s secrets.

Silas probably thinking, ‘Don’t do anything reckless,’ but he couldn’t possibly say that out loud. So instead he said…

“Take care of Nee-san!”

“Of course,” Isaac replied.

Isaac watched as Glenn and Silas flew off into the distance, then turned to the shore with Monica in his arms.

The Black Dragon of Minerva was still entangled in the lightning net, using a combination of shadows and black flames to cut through his binds. It was only a matter of time before he broke free.

Isaac looked down at Monica. She seemed to be half-awake, judging by her hazy eyes blinking drowsily.

Then, Isaac called out into the darkness.

“Nero.”

A meow echoed back in response, followed by a black cat walking out with leisurely steps.

With Monica still in his arms, Isaac knelt down in front of Nero and said, “Thank you for keeping your promise.”

“Yeah, you better be grateful, junior.”

Before this battle, Isaac had requested something of Nero, and Nero agreed.

——Keep your identity hidden until the Black Dragon of Minerva reveals his original form.

Nero’s existence was a trump card.

He was certainly a formidable ally, but simultaneously, his identity was a glaring weakness. Monica and Nero were doomed if the Black Dragon of Worgan were to appear in public again.

The same could be said for Thule, the white dragon contracted by Cyril.

If possible, Isaac wanted to take down Theodore before he transformed. That way, they wouldn’t need to risk borrowing the power of the dragons.

But if they were given no other choice…

“Wildianu.”

“Yes, Master.”

This was the plan Isaac devised when he reunited with Wildianu in Sazandol.

He would employ Wildianu’s power to the fullest, ensuring that Monica, Nero, Cyril, and Thule could continue living their lives in peace.

While kneeling on the ground, Isaac placed his partner on the back of his right hand and lifted the white lizard into the sky.

Wildianu’s sparkling aqua-colored eyes were pointed in the direction of the city.

“Deploy the wide-range illusion.”

Suddenly, a thick white mist enveloped the border between the town and the harbor. Then, the mist vanished just as quickly as it had appeared.

There was no visible change from this side. But on the other side, the projected illusion made it seem like the harbor was completely deserted.

Wildianu’s power was essentially a more advanced and far-reaching version of the illusion school of magic.

As a water spirit, illusions were his area of expertise. However, not even he could maintain an illusion of this scale forever.

“Let’s finish this,” Isaac muttered.

Meanwhile, Nero reached out his front paw and playfully pressed Monica’s cheek.

“Oi, wake up already. It’s time for us, the strongest pair ever, to solve everything in style.”

＊　＊　＊

Monica was having a peculiar dream. Fragments of memories were floating in and out, one after another.

It felt like completing a puzzle, only to have it broken apart and the pieces stolen. Then, the missing pieces suddenly fell from the sky.

But those pieces wouldn’t go back to their positions automatically.

One by one, Monica reached out for the fragments and put them back where they belonged.


Her kind foster mother Hilda was bantering with the maid in the kitchen.

“Regardless of the dish, the most important part is the heat,” Hilda explained. “Perfect control over temperature will allow you to cook any recipe.”

“In that case, I believe it’s time for you to learn how to use the oven, Hilda-sama.”

“Anyways, Monica. Today, we’ll study temperature control with fire magic. If you master this, you’ll become the master of the kitch—”

“The master of nothing. Please use the oven.”


During her enrollment at Minerva, Monica was chasing after her first friend.

“Bernie, Bernie… Um, my score on the Magical History exam improved, so…”

“That’s only natural, since I was the one who taught you.”

“Yeah, hehe… it’s all thanks to you, Bernie.”


Shortly before her induction into the Seven Sages, Monica exchanged words with her first colleague.

“…Um, Louis-san, I think you are, erm, pretty amazing.”

“Of course I am. You don’t need to tell me the obvious.”

“…”

“And you were the first to make this amazing guy lose. So you had better hold your head high.”


How the collaborator playing the villainess role helped her a lot.

“Onee-sama, you are the savior of Kerbeck. Please allow me to repay the favor. I… we want to be of help to you.”


How she clashed with a friend opposed to the Second Prince Faction.

“Hate me like you should. If you can’t, then just forget about me.”

“…N-No… I have a good memory… I won’t forget, ever.”

“What a bothersome Sage you are…”

“…”

“Goodbye, Monica.”


How she gained her first delinquent friend.

“I want you to remember me. Remember your delinquent friend Ike.”


How she revealed her true identity in front of everyone. Monica could do nothing but cry pathetically, and Lana wiped away her tears.

“…So what? I still consider us friends. Don’t you feel the same, Monica?”

“I want to… stay friends…”


There were ups and downs, pain and mistakes. Not everything ended on a happy note.

Even so, every one of those encounters was an invaluable treasure for Monica.

Monica touched each of those memories and absorbed them back into herself.

Previously, Monica had fled into the world of numbers when she couldn’t accept reality.

(Not anymore.)

Having met various people, she began to see the image of how she wanted to be.

She still felt scared and uneasy, but even so…

“I know you are good at putting in effort. You are someone who can challenge your weaknesses and overcome them. Even if you trip or stumble a few times, you’ll end up walking on your own two feet.”

A certain man gave Monica courage, along with a white rose.

She had been chasing after his back for so long. He was the image of what she wanted to be, so she could not look away.

“No matter how awkward or embarrassing your stride may be, I will never come to hate you. So please…”

She felt sad when scolded, and happy when praised. But just being together made her happy too.

Despite knowing she wasn’t worthy, she still wanted to be close to him.

(I love you.)

“I’ll be waiting up ahead for you to start walking.”

(That’s why… I want to be someone worthy of standing next to you.)

But if she wanted to hold herself with pride, she must take back everything that was stolen, including the happiness of her everyday life.

Monica clutched onto the courage she received from her beloved.

──Snap.

The last piece of the puzzle fit into place, filling the hole in Monica’s chest.

＊　＊　＊

Monica slowly opened her eyes.

The blurry world gradually came back into focus, and she recognized two faces staring down at her.

“Good morning, Monica.”

“Come on, how long do you plan on sleeping?”

A young man with blue eyes and an eyepatch——Monica’s disciple, Isaac.

The black cat with golden eyes perched on his shoulder——Monica’s partner, Nero.

Monica mumbled, “Ike, Nero,” in a hoarse voice.

“Just tell me if you ever think life is too full of despair,” Nero said with a grin. “I’ll grant you salvation by eating you.”

Belatedly, Monica realized that this was why Nero had been watching her from the window after she lost her memories.

Monica looked up at Nero and answered in her clearest tone ever. The response came that naturally.

“I don’t feel any despair at all.”

Monica Everett had made it this far after receiving strength from so many people.

“Ike, Nero… Lend me your strength.”

Monica lifted herself and clenched her staff. She pressed her feet firmly on the ground and stood up on her own.

“Your wish is my command, Master,” Isaac said, performing a graceful bow.

“Of course, I’m your one and only partner!” Nero followed.

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