The deafening roar reverberated through the air.
Riveria stood frozen, staring at the source of the explosion.
It felt as though she'd been struck by lightning. Even after enduring countless life-threatening battles, this sensation still gripped her heart, suffocating her.
"Cranel-sama!"
Ryuu's mind went completely blank when she saw the young man, Bell Cranel, plummeting from the sky after being hit directly by the blast.
Syr's...
The Goddess Astraea's...
And the flutter in her own heart—was it all coming to an end like this?
"Cough..."
Ryuu tried to rush to his side, but the Spirits' relentless assault gave her no opportunity.
Distracted for a split second, she was sent flying to the ground by the Spirits' attack.
"Bell Cranel... in that explosion...?"
Alicia swung her slender sword, her face clouded with uncertainty.
He was just a human. This wasn't his home. Why would he risk his life so bravely?
The elves' loyalty to their kin was unquestionable, noble even.
But what was this boy fighting for?
If something happened to him...
Alicia couldn't let herself think any further. The Spirits' relentless strikes seemed to dull her mind, and she danced in despair and anxiety.
"I'll save him!!"
Lefiya shouted.
She wished more than anything that what she'd just seen was a mere illusion.
That the boy would return, as he always did, standing beside her and saying something embarrassingly sweet.
If he was going to protect the girls, he couldn't fall here, not like this!
Lefiya scolded him in her heart.
But her hope shattered.
Under the impact of the explosion, Bell's body crumpled to the ground, lifeless like a rag doll.
Her reproach turned to guilt and fear, and tears spilled from her eyes.
"Stop."
Riveria's voice rang out with authority, cutting through the battlefield's chaos as she faced Lefiya.
".....?"
Lefiya's tears flowed uncontrollably. "He... Bell... he..."
Her words were broken, but they struck deep into the hearts of those around her.
"Stop. Then continue chanting your magic to hold back the assault. We must maintain the Spirits' line. That is our priority."
Riveria spoke with unyielding resolve.
If the defense collapsed, everything Bell had done would be in vain.
"But... but..." Lefiya couldn't bring herself to accept such a harsh command.
Bell Cranel had fought for everyone. How could they abandon him in this critical moment?
"Please, Lefiya..."
Riveria's voice softened, almost pleading.
"..."
Lefiya sensed it.
The magic power in the array trembled faintly.
Riveria was struggling to keep her emotions in check.
The woman standing before them was no longer the flawless Elf Princess. She was a woman consumed with worry for the boy.
This moment of weakness could not be shown to anyone.
She couldn't allow Bell's determination to be lost in vain.
Riveria carried it all on her own.
She hid her doubts and fears beneath her emerald-green hair.
Her eyes remained dry, her face unchanged.
But Lefiya understood—Riveria, more than anyone, wanted to reach Bell's side as quickly as possible.
"I wish upon the name of Wishe—"
Lefiya's thoughts lasted only a moment.
Even though worry made her bite her lip, she gripped her wand tightly and continued chanting the Magic without pause.
"Fight, my comrades."
"That youth defeated the Fire Dragon for us. Let us repay this noble deed with victory!!"
Riveria urged the others on.
This was for the best.
Even if the boy later resented her, she had to stand firm here.
No...
This was far from ideal.
A gaping hole seemed to tear open in her chest as guilt and worry surged relentlessly. It felt as though her heart was being ripped apart, every fiber of her being screaming in anguish.
She should turn and flee with the boy now.
Forget the Spirit Land, forget royal duty—just run away from this place...
But that was nothing more than a delusion.
To do that would not only trample her own dignity but would also deny the noble heart that defined Bell Cranel's very existence.
Blizzards erupted, icy magic sealing the movements of an intermediate Spirit.
Riveria held her wand forward, chanting tirelessly.
On her unseen, exquisite face, a few crystal-clear tears slipped down.
The next instant, the storm came.
Gale-force winds extinguished the raging flames, and cries echoed throughout the forest.
Countless unicorns surged from behind.
They avoided the trees, avoided the elf village, avoided the boy lying motionless on the ground.
The unicorns charged forward, colliding head-on with the rampaging Spirits.
Among them, a four-legged beast was wrapped in a gale.
As she passed the boy, she gently nodded and tenderly licked him.
It was a mare with a pale green mane.
A mid-tier Spirit who had once lived in the Sword Smithing City, Solingen.
Euphie revealed her most primal [Spirit Horse] form, neighing toward the sky.
She lowered her body, hoisted the youth onto her back, and stepped through the air.
As if aware of the battle's situation, Euphie carefully placed Bell beside Riveria.
In the next moment, she charged into the heart of the battlefield, riding the gale.
With the intervention of the mid-tier Spirit and countless unicorns, the battle gradually came to an end.
The enraged Spirits, like children disciplined with sticks, transformed into spheres of light. They wailed loudly as they swayed unsteadily, their fighting spirit fading.
"Bell Cranel!"
Riveria cried out the boy's name in distress.
Bell had suffered the blast's shockwave up close, his body covered in scorched wounds.
The teardrop-shaped pendant that had once hung around his neck was shattered.
The gem within had vanished, and the metal frame was cracked beyond recognition.
"Why hasn't he woken up yet..."
Riveria cursed her own helplessness.
Hailed as the city's strongest mage, she felt her title meant nothing.
The boy's prolonged unconsciousness surely meant the explosion had damaged his bones and tendons.
Why couldn't she offer a complete healing chant like the Dea Saint?
When she abandoned Aina, it had been just like this...
"Does anyone here have an Elixir? I'll pay any price to buy it!"
Holding the youth in her arms, Riveria relived the despair and helplessness she had felt when parting with her dearest friend.
The prideful Elves had never imagined that the Spirit Land could be breached. They scorned even ordinary potions, let alone an Elixir.
The potion Riveria had entrusted to the youth had also been destroyed in the explosion.
"Please..."
When the battle finally ended, Riveria could no longer hold back her tears.
She turned away, staying within the icy wall created by her frost Magic.
Riveria suggested that the boy needed to rest in this ice cave to dispel the burning and recover.
In truth, she didn't want anyone to see her weakness.
"Riveria-sama!"
"The Sacred Tree... its fruit has ripened!"
The elves gazed into the distance, speaking in unison.
The Spirit's anger had finally calmed.
Bathed in moonlight, the Sacred Tree stood unharmed, its branches bearing fruit that symbolized friendship.
A jade-green light swept through the air.
Euphie transformed into a speck of light, delivering an apple to the Elf princess.
Without hesitation, Riveria swiftly accepted the fruit of affection and healing.
Frost spread around them.
The tears of triumph and worry faded into the night.
What had truly happened afterward?
Even Lefiya and the others remained unaware.