Chapter 60 Unbreakable Feelings
"Hmm... 'I'll smash that rotten spirit back into shape' is quite a bold statement for someone in your condition, barely able to stand."
"Ugh...!?"
With just a bit of force from Alvine, Yumie, lacking the strength for a proper clash, is easily overpowered and thrown to the ground once more.
On top of already being at a disadvantage in size, one arm and one leg are broken and useless.
Just managing to block a single attack could be considered a miracle.
"Stop it!! Your target is me, right? Go ahead, kill me if you want... But please, don't do any more terrible things to Yumie...!!"
Holding Yumie protectively, Rifine pleads desperately.
Yumie places a hand on the tear-streaked face of the crying girl.
"Don't cry... Rifine, you haven't done anything wrong. Don't be swayed by what this guy says. You deserve to be... much happier. Laugh a lot and be loved by many different people. You really have the right to that..."
"I... I don't need that!! As long as I have Yumie, that's enough...!!"
Feeling anxious from Yumie's words, which sound like a final farewell, Rifine clings to her.
Yumie gently embraces the young princess. And then──.
"It's okay. I'm here with you, Rifine. From now on, I'll always be by your side. So..."
Yumie pressed her lips against Rifine's small ones.
"Please lend me your power."
"Yumie? Mm...!?"
──Magical Power can be transferred from one person to another through a kiss.
However, the efficiency is only about 20 percent.
This is meant to be an emergency measure for when one's Magical Power is depleted.
If it's done poorly, there's also a risk of becoming "drunk" from excess Magical Power.
Yumie was trying to use this to strengthen her own Magical Power.
"Hahaha! You sure know how to show off in a moment like this. ...Huh?"
So unconventional and a gamble that doesn't take one's situation into account.
Even if it succeeds, it doesn't mean she will suddenly become significantly stronger.
This was why Alvine was slow to grasp her intentions.
That brief moment divided the fates of both.
"..Thank you, Rifine."
"Are you really okay, Yumie? I can trust you, right?"
"Of course. Have I ever lied to you, Rifine?"
"..I've been tricked many times before."
"Ahaha, that's true. Then──please get tricked one more time."
Yumie's body separated from Rifine and floated gently.
Her body was filled with forcibly poured Magical Power, glowing like it might burst at any moment.
On the other hand, Rifine, who had exhausted her Magical Power, collapsed wearily at the spot.
"With the Magical Power I received from Rifine, I will carve a path!"
With a determined gaze, Yumie gripped her sword and faced Alvine.
Alvine responded with a sneer,
"Hah, you think you can defeat me just because you've increased your Magical Power a bit? Don't you think you're underestimating me?"
The magic floating in the sky, Float.
It's very simple and well-known magic, but in reality, it's not that powerful.
After all, just floating doesn't allow for the kind of free movement that they would call "flying," and without a solid surface, holding a sword wouldn't give her any stability.
In other words, Yumie holding the sword now would only be for show.
"Shall we test it...?"
Despite this, Yumie's confidence raised Alvine's vigilance.
(No, what am I afraid of? She's just a ten-year-old girl, there's nothing she can do now.)
What should truly be feared is not her attack but the collateral damage it might cause.
Depending on the scale, it could alert the surroundings.
(Or is she aiming for that? If so, then it's nothing short of foolish.)
This abandoned church serves as a hidden refuge for the Royal Family in times of need, which is why it has no visitors around.
Moreover, Alvine has created a barrier with magic to ensure that no sound or light escapes from it.
No matter what happens, there's nothing to worry about.
"Alright, I'll entertain you for a bit more."
It wouldn't be so bad for the other person to taste the despair of having their schemes crushed.
Deciding this, Alvine readied his sword to match Yumie.
"Here I go...!! Yaaahhh!!"
Yumie, lifted by magic up to the ceiling, pounced on Alvine using the force of her fall.
Since she couldn't use her legs or one arm, it was a simple strategy to increase her attack's power by harnessing gravity.
Given that there was nothing else to do, it was only natural for things to turn out this way.
"Too sweet!!"
And since it was a move that could be easily predicted, dealing with it was simple.
Alvine swung his sword and deflected Yumie's blade──at that moment.
A violent explosion-like sound thundered between Alvine and Yumie.
"Guu!?"
"Ugh...!!"
Alvine instinctively covered his ears, while Yumie rolled on the ground from her fall.
Not only Alvine but also the surrounding followers, including Rifine, covered their ears in discomfort.
This was soundwave amplification magic.
The flashy metallic sound generated when their swords clashed was magnified dozens or even hundreds of times, aiming to shake Alvine's brain and knock her out.
It was almost self-destructive, but that made it difficult to defend against, making it quite a valid attack.
"Hehehe, to come up with such a strategy in this short time is impressive... You really are Granbell's daughter, aren't you?"
After being blasted by the loud noise from such close range, Alvine stumbled slightly, his balance off.
Yumie, who was almost at the same distance, also couldn't seem to stand up any longer.
"However, your futile struggle ends here. It's about time for you to die."
"Yumie...!!"
Shaking off his brief loss of balance, Alvine walked towards Yumie.
As he pointed his sword at the fallen Yumie, he noticed that her shoulder was trembling slightly.
Not from fear, but from joy.
"..What's so funny?"
"No... I just thought it was too early to call it a futile struggle. ...It reached me properly."
"What...?"
he heard a sharp crack, like something hard breaking.
The source of the sound was Alvine's wrist──the magic bracelet he used to cast spells.
Perhaps, in that brief moment when the loud noise distracted Alvine, Yumie had attacked with some kind of magic.
The crack slowly spread larger.
"You've been using magic that whole time with that. Without it... the magic keeping people away from this place will disappear, right...?"
"So what? Magic is just a backup. Even without this, no one would come here anyway."
"No, they will. My friends will never abandon Rifine."
The crack reached its peak, and the bracelet shattered into pieces.
Facing Yumie's gaze, filled with absolute confidence, Alvine felt fear and took a step back.
He should have realized by now that she could do nothing on her own.
He must have known that her family was gone from this royal capital, so how could she so firmly believe in others?
Alvine couldn't understand Yumie's thoughts at all.
"..You worthless, dying child, what nonsense are you spouting!!"
Unable to accept the fact that he felt fear from such a young girl with little power, Alvine swung down his sword in anger.
Ignoring Rifine's voice trying to stop him, at the moment the blade aimed to take Yumie's life──.
A blast of magic flew from behind the already destroyed door of the ruined church, thanks to Rifine.
It precisely deflected Alvine's sword, saving Yumie's life.
"Wha...!?"
Alvine was left speechless by the sudden intruder.
Even if Yumie had said it, he never thought it would actually happen.
So, he should have made arrangements just in case he couldn't come.
But still, why is "he" here?
"Your Highness...Sigurt...!? Why, are you here!!"
Rifine's brother and the first prince of the Ortria Kingdom: Sigurt Dia Ortria.
Unlike the fake Alvine, the genuine one is here, holding a sword with an expression that is even harder to read than usual.
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