Through the rain

Damn it!... I'm going to die!

Without thinking, I grabbed Noel mid-air, desperately wishing I could make it work, and unleashed a lightning spell using a light magic stone.

If I could form a clear image in my mind, based on past experience, the spell would take shape accordingly.

The ground was approaching fast.

I clung to one desperate wish—don't let me die.

The lightning spell that activated emitted a dazzling light unlike anything I'd ever seen, rapidly coalescing into a glowing mass.

The mass briefly condensed into a sphere, then erupted with a violent rocket-like thrust.

The stronger the thrust became, the more my strength drained from my body. My head ached terribly—like it was being repeatedly struck by a hammer.

Still, I couldn't stop. I was slowing down, just slightly.

Thanks to forcing myself to keep using magic, I managed to land safely with both of us unharmed.

But...

"Ugh..."

"Taro! Are you alright?"

The high-purity light crystal I was holding in my left hand shattered into pieces.

At the same time, a numbing pain shot through my left hand. My headache was intense.

What on earth was that? Even though I did it myself, I can't even begin to replicate it.

After a while, the numbness in my hand subsided. My headache gradually eased.

"I'm fine, Noel. Let's contact the captain above."

"Yeah, you're right."

We tried to contact the squad leaders using a low-grade light crystal.

"Ah, what's this?"

"What's wrong, Taro?"

As usual, the crystal should just glow, but it wasn't responding at all.

No—fear rises within me, but I relax upon seeing the crystal slowly begin to glow.

Then, we managed to contact the squad leaders.

"Taro, if we head southeast like this, we should meet up soon. Let's go right away."

"Got it."

The rain kept getting heavier. Eventually, we decided to take shelter temporarily.

We entered a large crack in the cliffside and waited for the rain to ease.

Our soaked bodies were losing heat rapidly, and we were getting quite cold.

"Hey, Taro, don't you have anything to warm up with?"

"Nope, I don't. What about you? Let's pool our supplies."

We all brought out what we had.

I produced a few low-grade light crystals and a couple of flash crystals, but the rest I’d left behind in the carriage.

Noel was in a similar state—besides battle-ready gear, all he had was a pencil and some tattered paper.

"Looks like we've got nothing at all."

Noel sighed dejectedly, his voice sounding drained.

Indeed, it's going to be tough like this...

"We can make kindling, but there's nothing to burn it with. The trees are all soaked."

"Wait a second—how exactly do you make kindling like that?"

"Ah, if that's the case, you can do it using lightning magic and that pencil."

Noel looked utterly confused.

"Then try burning this."

He pointed to the dry leaves and thin twigs gathered in the crack of the cliffside.

"Fine, but if you don't keep burning it, it'll stay cold forever."

Then it's fine. As long as we can warm up, that's all that matters. Let's burn that tree.

As he said that, amid the continuing rain, he broke off a few branches from among the trees.

This wood is hard, so even if the surface is wet, the inside remains dry. It's actually better to have it dry for burning, but it's still better than nothing.

I always find such survival knowledge fascinating.

"Alright! Let's get this fire started."

Focusing on the low-purity light crystal, I activated the lightning spell.

I adjusted the output to be weak and directed the electricity toward the graphite tip of the pencil.

It's great being able to use magic like this—being able to activate it regardless of purity comes in handy during moments like this.

Graphite conducts electricity and generates heat. The higher the electric current, the more heat it produces.

I pressed the heated graphite part against some fallen leaves, and smoke began rising from both the pencil and the leaves.

Placing additional leaves on the spot, the flame gradually rose and grew stronger.

I blew on it to keep the fire going and make it bigger.

By the time sweat was running down my forehead, the flame had grown quite large.

"Good, Taro, that's enough. This should be safe enough now."

Using the sword I held, I scraped off the wet bark from the wood and began tossing small pieces of kindling into the fire.

The flames stabilized, softly illuminating the surroundings.

Finally able to warm myself, I could rest for a moment.

"Taro, take off your wet clothes and dry them. I'll help you with that."

Saying that, Noel quickly undressed. Even if there was a man present, he could at least show a little more consideration.

A little was seen, but he quickly looked away.

Facing each other back to back, they warmed themselves.

An awkward silence lingered. It was quite uncomfortable.

"How do you feel, Taro, now that you've gained magic?"

Why was Noel asking so seriously? It was unusual for him.

"Well, to be honest, I was surprised at first.

But lately, I’ve finally started to think I can actually help everyone."

Since I’d only been investigating the magic stones out of curiosity, I didn’t know how to respond, so I just blurted out whatever came to mind.

"If you can’t fight, you’re not helping. Don’t get carried away. People should just do what they’re capable of, honestly and sincerely."

...Why is he so angry? My confusion came before everything else.

"Hey, can I ask you something for a moment? Why’ve you been so sharp lately?"

It was obvious—since he’d started being able to use magic, his demeanor had grown sharper.

Noel looked out beyond the cave... slowly speaking.

"…It’s nothing big.

I’ve been through it myself.

Back when I was in the Empire, I was thrilled when I got stronger. People called me a genius.

I got cocky, messed up, and ended up hurting my teacher. That’s why."

"I see… Thanks."

The responsibility of those with power...

A bitter memory surfaced—back when I got a little good at studying, I got arrogant and paid the price.

For some reason, I readily accepted it.

The rain stopped, and the clouds cleared.

After that, I faced a steep climb that seemed like a wall, tackling an extremely thrilling rock climb.

I vowed in my heart that I would never fall down that cliff again.

By the way, I climbed it while being teased mercilessly by Noel.

Just a little more to reach the empire.