Chapter 138 Bloody Drive
"Next up. The 6th woman from the left, 4th shelf from the front."
"Aight, let's see what you got!"
"Yes! 'Silky's Devotion'."
I wonder how many people this makes now.
Following Lyam's signal, I catch another people who was drawn in. We line up the people near the entrance, then go back to our original spot, and that's one set. We keep doing this over and over.
When it comes to carrying someone who's passed out, the whole process is pretty tough work. But thanks to my daily training, it's not too hard for me.
Well, even if it's tough, I was holding it in. After all, there's a delicate girl who's breathing heavily from the strain of continuous chanting but hasn't complained at all.
"Ha, phew..."
"Tired already?"
"N-no, I'm fine. I can still go."
"Solid!"
I give Lyam, who's showing guts that could rival a man, a light pat on the head while I sneak a glance at the entrance.
There was a crowd forming at the library entrance. Well, that's to be expected. With such a strange event happening, it would be odd if no one noticed. Plus, while there are a lot of onlookers, some are helping the people we rescued. They still look pretty pale, but they should be healing soon.
"Next. I'm going for the knight by the staircase support!"
"Whoa!"
A heavy shock made me let out a sound without thinking.
Oh no, this isn't the time to be acting cool. A passed-out person in full knight armor is definitely heavy. But to think there's a knight in such sturdy gear here, were they doing some research or something?
"Ha, ha... With this, we've rescued everyone on the first floor."
"Meh, good work."
"Ha, phew... But it seems there are still a few people on the upper floors."
It looks like that knight was the last one on the first floor, but this isn't the end. There are still people we need to save on the upper levels.
In a way, this is where the real challenge begins. I focus my energy and look up at the second floor, and I spot a strangely familiar yellow color.
"...Huh? Yo, stop, look who just fainted on that shelf over there!"
"Huh...? Oh! Mr. Quollio?!"
No doubt about it. I see a distinctive yellow robe and long green hair lying there through the glass railing. It's Quollio. I heard he was always hanging out in the library, but I didn't expect to run into him here.
"Seen him at the library too. Really laying back there. Lyam, can ya do it?"
"Yes! But, if I try to pull him from here, I might break the glass and really hurt him..."
"Tch, softie. If he's hurt, he'll likely squeal later. Guess I gotta shift up."
"Yeah, that makes sense."
Imagining Quollio complaining to me while hurt made Lyam hold back a laugh as she agreed. If we're going to rescue him, we need to either break the glass or change our position.
"Ah! W-What's happening... ugh!"
"Lyam!"
But the cheerful mood changed suddenly when Lyam started to suffer. I rushed over, worried that the fatigue from the continuous chanting hit him all at once, and then that feeling of weakness hit me again.
"Ugh... this feelin'...!"
No way. I was totally fine just a moment ago. I glared at the floor, almost on my knees. I didn't misjudge my position, but the barrier's effect is still active.
"Tch, could it be expandin'?!"
It seems like the barrier is growing. Maybe it's because time has passed or the number of targets for the Magi has decreased. I don't know the exact reason, but right now, we need to get out fast.
I picked up the crouching Lyam and jumped back toward the entrance.
"Haah, haah... Hiiro. Thank you, you saved me..."
"Nah, no biggie. Just need to move quick now though."
"...Looks like it."
This is bad. We managed to escape, but the rescue effort and the strain from the barrier left Lyam completely dizzy. Her face is pale blue, and she can barely stand. I can't push her any further.
Still, I can't just sit around. If the barrier expands over time, the damage won't just be contained in the library.
"Lyam."
"Y-Yes?"
"Ya gotta stay here. I'm headin' to Quollio."
Lyam will handle the healing at the entrance. I want to do something about the balance, but I don't even know how to stop it, and I can't just leave Quollio alone. So, I guess I have to go in by myself.
"You're going now... what about the barrier's pressure?"
"I've got a plan. Not sure if it'll work tho."
"What if it doesn't work?"
"Then I'll just have to rely on my guts."
"That's... that's too reckless."
"Being reckless is jus' part of the deal. If things go south, I'll count on ya, Silky."
".........Ugh."
I've made up my mind. I guess that determination got through to them.
Lyam's hand, which was reaching out, dropped down. With deep regret showing on her face, Lyam gripped the bamboo broom tightly.
I feel bad, but I have to hurry now. I took a deep breath while glancing at Quollio's position.
"Alrigh'. First, 'Silver technique that crosses the sky with my legs──[Shoes of Hel (Helskor)]'."
"And next... 'The shield of the Sun God that Envelops Me──[Svalinn]'."
I quickly chanted 2 spells of White magic. A shining armor and silver winged shoes.
I don't know if this will work inside the barrier, but it's definitely better than having no plan at all.
"If anything happens, I'll pull you back right away!"
"Yeah. Count on ya."
Wait for me, Quollio. I'm coming to wake you up now.
With Lyam's worried support, I used my enhanced leg strength to dash right up to the edge of the barrier.
"────Hey, you lazy ass! Wake the f*ck up!"
I stomped down hard to spring myself up.
With a fiery shout, I jumped all the way to the second floor.
It was a leap that would impress even world-class high jumpers. I landed just a few steps away from Quollio.
"Ugh!? D-Damn it, the magic...!"
But the barrier's power was overwhelming.
The winged shoes (Shoes of Hel (Helskor)) meant for jumping high and the armor (Svalinn) to slightly prevent magic absorption were instantly canceled. And the draining force hit me, stealing my strength in an instant.
"Hiiro!"
"Damn it...!"
Burning with energy, I took one step, then another, but suddenly my knees gave out and I collapsed. This is bad, really bad. It's not just the barrier. Has the pulling force gotten stronger too?
(Damn it, I feel dizzy... If this keeps up, I'll...)
My body, which didn't have much Magi to begin with, ran out quickly. In no time, my vision blurred, and my consciousness started to fade away.
Lyam's scream felt distant, and just when I was hit with regret, thinking it was all over for me...
────Thump.
(...Huh?)
My heart thumped. Very strong. Very close.
It felt like it was pounding right next to my ear.
──Thump, thump, thump.
It wasn't just the loudness. My heart was racing at an insane speed. It was like after running full speed, my heart was going wild.
But it wasn't just a strange feeling; it brought an unexpected effect.
(What is this? Magi... is it rising? The pulling has stopped... but not really, I guess?)
The empty Magi inside me was slowly healing. No, it was healing, but I also felt a wave of weakness. It felt like the pulling and healing were alternating. I definitely wasn't back to full strength.
But I could move. I couldn't even feel like I could move a finger, yet I managed to stand up again. Just maybe, I thought I could make it through this.
(Waking up to a mess like this... Master really knows how to give me a heart attack in more ways than one.)
Amid the loud thumping of my heart, a girl's voice, mixed with a yawn, rang out clearly.
(Yo──Ruthless! Just woke up, huh? Still snoring like a baby?!)
(Haha, that's harsh, Master. If it's this interesting, you could've woken me up sooner. Were you so desperate that you forgot about me?)
Crap. How did she know?
No, no, that's not important right now.
(...Come on, Ms. Ruthless, I ain't no dummy. How could I forget about my reliable partner? So, what the hell happened to me? My heart feels like it's tearing up, is this your doing?)
(This is a really obvious way to avoid the topic. Well, whatever. And Master's heart working hard is all thanks to me. You can be grateful.)
(Yeah, yeah, thanks. But why’s Magi healing with this?)
(Same idea as that sweaty horse I smashed before. The best way for living things to hold Magi is through blood. By making the heart work extra hard, it's creating more blood, which means more Magi. Well, this might be a bit tough for a muscle-brained Master to understand.)
(Who are you calling muscle-brained?)
Looks like this was done by Ruthless.
Having the heart working so hard seems really bad for the body, but that's why I'm not passing out. I have a lot of questions like how can this even happen or what kind of ability was hidden, but anyway.
For now, I'm still hanging on by a thread. So let's focus on reaching my immediate goal. Even though I'm still a bit wobbly, I gathered my strength and somehow made it to Quollio.
"Damn it, this bookworm's getting on my nerves... Huh?"
Usually, Quollio is the one talking, but now he's lying there all worn out. As I tried to pick up his thin body, I noticed something. He was holding onto a book tightly in his arms.
"..."
I don't really get it, but if it's something important to him, I should take it too. In a flash, I adjusted my grip on him and leaned over the railing on the second floor. Right at the entrance, Lyam was calling my name with a desperate look.
"Hiiro!"
"Lyam, do it!"
"Yes! Please come back...! 'Silky's Devotion'!!"
Thanks for holding on.
As soon as the chant finished, I jumped over the glass railing.
The scenery shook, and I felt a jolt. But I didn't feel the heavy pressure of the barrier. That was the best sign that the rescue was a success.
"...Welcome back."
"Yeah."
I landed on the ground with a thud, looking pretty silly.
But for now, I gave a thumbs up to Lyam, who was celebrating my return.
"Sorry for being such a hassle... a bookworm..."
"No way, ya were awake the whole time?"
By the way, Quollio, who seemed to not have passed out just yet, was probably feeling a bit resentful.
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