Chapter 21: 21

The name she was supposed to have forgotten spilled from her lips.

The man, a phantom of the past, stared back at Wisteria with a displeased look for a moment.

Suddenly, however, the figure disappeared.

In place of an afterimage, white buds danced up like snow once again——

“Irene!”

The holy sword Salutis’s cry of warning, which she hadn’t heard in a long time, forced Wisteria’s consciousness back.

Before she could even think about, she raised Salutis overhead with its scabbard.

The heavy and dull metallic sound was deafening. Numbness flared in both arms that held Salutis.

The silver blade was barely stopped by Salutis, which she raised right by her side. Beyond it, she saw the face of the man who came to cut her in two.

Both of his golden eyes, dyed with icy hostility, met Wisteria’s purple eyes.

“The Witch–Wisteria Irene. So only your form remains here?”

The young man, who bore a striking resemblance to the “living jewel,” uttered those words. They were as cold as a polished blade.

——His voice was the same as the one she remembered.

“What are you talking about…”

——Witch. Form. What was he saying?

The golden-eyed youth didn’t answer her and continued.

“Give me the holy sword Salutis.”

The next moment, the force that was trying to overpower Wisteria disappeared.

“Move, you fool!!”

Salutis’s shout was simultaneous with the golden-eyed man’s aim at Wisteria’s torso with a side swipe.

——He was too late.

“<Shield>!!”

Wisteria shouted at the same time she felt it. The miasma was instantly converted into magic, creating an invisible shield.

It blocked a blow aimed at her flank just in time.

The colliding sword made an unpleasant sound, but at the same time, the golden eyes distorted faintly, and the young man jumped back with a great leap. White buds were scattered with his landing feet, and they flew through the air.

Before the remnants of the buds had fully fallen off, the young man kicked off the ground again.

A shimmering dark blue light clung to the sword in his hand.

It was neither an illusion nor a hallucination. It was a sign that magic had been activated.

That sight finally brought Wisteria back to her senses.

(No–this isn’t Bright!!)

The man with the same figure as him stepped in.

He cut up from below, and she caught him again with Salutis in an instant. Numbness flared in her hands, and even her legs felt the impact.

There was no time to strike each other properly.

At the moment their hands were indirectly connected through the swords that came into contact with each other,

“<Slacken>.”

Wisteria chanted shortly but forcefully.

Through the swords, the  magic power rushed from the young man’s hand to his arm and then to his body.

Golden eyes widened. The young man stopped moving, and after a few seconds, the sword fell from his hand.

As if an unbearable weight was pressing down on him from above, now he collapsed at his knees. He still managed to avoid falling down completely by falling on one knee.

Wisteria widened her eyes slightly, her breathing uneven.

(…This is surprising.)

This <Slacken> magic was so powerful that a person with low tolerance would fall asleep immediately. Even a normal human being would have difficulty even waking up, as their entire body would be drained of strength.

——But not only that, the young man seemed to be applying magic to his sword earlier.

It seemed weak, but in this world full of miasma, not magical elements, someone who could convert miasma into magic couldn’t be considered normal.

And even Wisteria, who wasn’t a skilled swordsman in the first place, could tell that this man was an excellent swordsman. It would have been dangerous if she had been dragged into a pure sword fight without Salutis.

The man was still trying to stand up and was even reaching for his sword.

Wisteria held out her hand to the sword, and made a large sideways sweep with her arm.

The sword, entangled in an invisible force, flew through the air and fell far away.

The man looked up. Golden eyes, reminiscent of a raging fire, shot into Wisteria.

Those were not the eyes of someone who had been deprived of his weapon and his resistance prevented.

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Her heart leapt.

Wisteria still controlled herself and stared back at him with cold, narrowed eyes.

“Who are you? Are you human?”

Creatures that could change their appearance at will exist as a type of demon. But this young man at least seemed to understand human language, and above all, he appeared when the <Gate> opened and spoke words that indicated that he wanted Salutis. It was difficult to believe he was a demon.

——Above all, his face.

“Why–do you have the same face as Bright of House Reuning?”

When Wisteria asked this, her eyes became more stern than even she realized.

The young man, who bore a striking resemblance to Bright, had a slight look of surprise in his golden eyes. His shapely eyebrows were contorted, indicating some sort of strong discomfort.

But immediately, a provocative and cold smile appeared on his well-shaped lips.

“Wisteria Irene the Witch. I never thought you would still be able to maintain your form. Do you have the ability to understand human languages even though you turned into a demon?”

“…Answer my question. You are–”

“I have no time for idle chatter with witches. Give me Salutis.”

The young man acted so arrogant that it was hard to believe he lost his weapon and was about to lose his bodily freedom. He didn’t seem to be thinking about being killed by the person looking down at him.

Or perhaps, even if he did, he had no fear or hesitation.

(…This man is not Bright.)

Wisteria told herself once again and suppressed the disturbance in her heart.

The past seemed to have taken on a new form, and the resemblance was striking. But this couldn’t be Bright himself. It was also strange that he was seeking Salutis.

She lightly lifted the man’s chin with the tip of Salutis’s scabbard, keeping her eyes coldly fixed on the man.

“I am the one asking the questions here, young man. And the holy sword Salutis chooses its own master. Do you think Salutis will choose you as you are right now?”

A golden fire flared strongly in the man’s eye.

His arrogant intensity spurned Wisteria’s words.

“——Then, you should find out for yourself.”

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With that, Wisteria quietly placed Salutis in front of the young man.

She took a few steps back.

The look of disbelief and caution in the young man’s golden eyes was short-lived as his hand reached out to touch Salutis.

“Don’t touch me, you fool.”

Just before he touched Salutis, a cold voice and a small bolt of lightning flashed through the air, and the young man’s hand snapped away.

His eyes widened.

He immediately put his hand in front of his chest, which had an abrasion.

“…And that proves what I’m saying.”

Wisteria murmured and took Salutis in her hand again. There was no reaction of rejection as what had happened to the young man.

“You–you’re saying you’re recognized as its master?”

There was something close to a groan of disbelief in the young man’s voice.

Wisteria merely shrugged.

——There was no need to tell him that he wasn’t exactly right.

“Now then. Who are you and why do you need Salutis? I know you don’t have time for questions. If you’re a human, you must return as soon as possible.”

She said, and then looked above.

The sky of the other world shimmered from green to blue. This place was filled with miasma. Too much of it.

“Listen, young man. This is the Grey Lands. The concentration of miasma is stable now, but it will still kill a human being if they are exposed to it for too long.”

Wisteria’s face turned grim and her voice became more threatening. She had many questions she wanted to ask this young man, but she didn’t want him to die in front of her.

The young man looked doubtful, as if he was about to rebuff her. He looked neither scornful nor suspicious, but rather as if he had heard unexpected words from someone he didn’t expect them from.

“A new Guardian shouldn’t be needed yet. I don’t know who you are or why you’re here, but you should immediately…”

“Lloyd.”

She was interrupted by a low, emotionless voice.

Wisteria turned her attention back to the young man.

She knew that the word he replied with in a straightforward manner seemed to be his name.

A young man with long silver hair and golden eyes–Lloyd spoke expressionlessly.

“Lloyd Allen Reuning. Bright Luxe Reuning is my father.”

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