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“…It seems following my instincts was the right answer after all.”

The Mad King and the hero.

A man with those two starkly contrasting titles spoke.

Everyone looked at him as if they couldn’t understand.

“You all have questioning expressions. However, doubt is something the weak can harbor towards the strong.”

…Ah, I feel like I’ve seen this somewhere before.

What was that feeling?

‘Chuunibyou…!’

His gaze swept across the faces of the people. It looked like he was searching for someone.

I concluded that he was looking for Skylar, who, naturally, seemed to be fighting that Mad King. But my assumption was completely wrong.

Degurru.

His gaze stops at a single point.

And, at that moment, my gaze met his in mid-air.

He was looking at me.

…Why?

“…Eyes?”

“Huh?”

“Is that so? That’s why the heart is along with it; it must be the eyes.”

I couldn’t understand.

What does it mean?

Heart? Eyes?

…The eyes must refer to my eyes.

Skylar had once told me why I should avoid the Mad King. Because he collects divine bodies.

If him recognizing my eyes means they are the eyes of a god, then who does the heart refer to?

‘Together.’

I looked sideways.

There was Skylar, battered and glaring at the Mad King.

‘…Heart.’

I felt like the puzzle pieces clicked into place.

Click.

I understood the situation. What choice could I make now?

None.

I couldn’t operate the status window, and options didn’t pop up whenever I wanted. I was just a powerless Bard.

If I attempted anything, it would be to charm the Mad King.

But, I didn’t know how to use my eyes.

–

Searching for possibilities by my own will.

Checking….

Not yet opened.

–

I had acted impulsively, and my memories and senses were hazy. I didn’t think I could use my eyes again.

The hidden traits hadn’t even opened yet.

“Skylar.”

“…Yes.”

“Let’s talk later. Is there a way to escape this situation right now?”

“There isn’t.”

“Huh?”

“There’s nothing. How do you escape from a man who can create a river with just a single slash?”

…Create a river with just a single slash?

Have you ever seen a man who confidently pointed out the next goal and path suddenly lose himself, lose his composure, and be utterly powerless?

At least I hadn’t. But now I was witnessing it.

The man who seemed to be the only solution was in such a state, so it appeared it was up to me to resolve this.

‘First, let’s organize things.’

The Mad King’s goal is to collect bodies.

And I happen to have a body.

He would try to take the body from me.

‘…Become visually impaired in exchange for saving my life?’

It was a somewhat decent method, but I didn’t want to resort to such a tactic.

I want to keep my limbs whole.

Find a way.

Think hard.

“Yeah. Heart. It’s kind of funny that the only thing I found is something so childish.”

“…It’s a bit suspicious to call it childish considering there are many strange aspects. Eyal.”

“Who are you calling a hollow shell?”

“You crazy old man with two brains. Still pretending to be a hero.”

While I was desperately searching for a way to live, Skylar successfully provoked the Mad King further.

I wanted to question what the hell he was doing, begging for mercy with a head full of bruises, but the atmosphere wasn’t something I could interrupt.

The two faced each other as if they were quite familiar, and the mood wasn’t all that bad.

‘…Frenemies?’

The relationship was neither particularly antagonistic nor purely friendly.

However, I wasn’t sure if the slight malice embedded in just a single word could be treated as mere ‘ugly affection.’

‘What kind of confidence does he have to provoke?’

The Skylar I know is meticulous.

He hides his intentions thoroughly, tries to guide my actions from behind, and never explains why he’s accompanying me or helping me… he’s that kind of person.

I didn’t think he would suddenly act this way, emotionally and impulsively, without any reason.

I began to observe Skylar with my ‘eyes.’

He didn’t seem to be trying to use a scroll.

However, magic was visible.

It was flowing.

The shining light I had seen before… the flowing wave… the wind enveloping us focused into a point. Eventually, it scattered and formed a circle.

Finally, he began to chant.

The language contained magic.

“The first magic was the wish of a woman who pleaded for protection and looked towards the sky.”

“A heartless being… is going to use that?”

“Grabbing any wooden stick carelessly tossed around a campfire…”

Blood began to flow from Skylar’s nose and eyes.

Even from my perspective as someone clueless about magic, the flow now felt ominous. It was like a serpent eating its own tail… with no exit or entrance.

Constantly destroying his insides and neither going out nor coming in.

It was only spinning in place.

Skylar reached out to me.

The Mad King seemed to enjoy watching us, only observing without intervening.

“He won’t catch us. We’ll eventually gather again.”

“…I’ll definitely hear what that means later.”

“Got it. First the dagger…”

Skylar grabbed my dagger. Then, he stabbed it straight into the back of his hand.

He didn’t scream and stained his hand with the dripping blood.

The red hand drew a circle.

“I have drawn a picture on the ground with that wooden stick.”

The Mad King chuckled.

“Even without the heart of a god, you wield such magic. Impressive. You are the second person to surprise me this way.”

“I won’t ask why you haven’t taken our eyes here.”

“Is that so?”

“After all, the bodies are drawn together and will gather as one again. We’ll definitely meet later. We have… too much time.”

Skylar finished the conversation.

Suddenly, Skylar’s form… shifted.

No, it was more accurate to say it looked overlaid.

‘…An adult version? Skylar as a grown-up?’

And that image vanished in an instant like a mirage.

The Mad King sheathed his sword.

What could be so amusing? He just smiled and watched us.

The circle drawn with blood sparkled with blue light.

“Stand next to me.”

“…Okay.”

I stood beside Skylar. And the scenery shifted.

Light flashed.

I only saw bright light in front of me, and nothing else was visible.

I felt a sensation like floating, as if my body were falling from a high place.

And then.

Thud.

*

Suddenly felt my heart and body sink.

It was a sensation similar to when a plane takes off and lands.

I looked around.

‘…Snowfield? Teleportation?’

No, before looking around…!

“Skylar.”

“Yes. I’m right beside you. Please don’t shout so loudly. It’s painful for my ears.”

“There’s… a lot of blood.”

“Yes, I’m aware of that.”

Skylar took out a scroll from his pocket.

It must be a recovery scroll. I had many questions, but I’d have to ask them later, after recovery…

The light sparkled. However, unlike before, the weak light was faintly… it seemed on the brink of disappearing. Skylar caught sight of my worried gaze.

“…I can’t use magic anymore.”

“What do we do?”

“You have to do it. Selina.”

“…Me?”

“Being able to see magic means… at the very least, the conditions have been met. You have talent. It’s not proper magic, but at this level, a novice who just learned magic could use a scroll….”

“So… what do I do?”

“A scroll is simply a drawn path… just follow the picture drawn by someone else, and you’re done. I don’t have confidence to explain it better than that….”

How am I supposed to do something with just that level of explanation?!

Skylar’s eyes were growing dim.

I still had things I needed to hear from this guy. There were things I was curious about. There were mountains of questions… I couldn’t afford to let him die now.

I hoped he wouldn’t die.

I was a bard.

What kind of people had I encountered as bards until now? I questioned myself. What character had I created? What was my goal?

…A bard wasn’t just someone who sang and played.

Sometimes they wielded swords, sometimes bows, sometimes prayed, and sometimes used magic.

They learned everything that came their way as a means to protect themselves. That’s why they were versatile, while also being labeled as ‘miscellaneous characters.’

If there was at least a minimal requirement for me, even if my talent was insignificant, I wished for… just a glimmer of light right here, right now.

That’s all I hoped for, and

The starlight, as always, sparkled to grant the wishes of those who wish strongly.

With a feeling of something slipping from my fingertips holding the bloodstained scroll… a dim but slightly clearer sparkle entered my sight.

The most basic of basics.

The name of the scroll was—

“[Recovery]”

The shimmering blue light eventually transformed into the light of a meadow, warmly wrapping around Skylar’s body. Visible wounds and scratches gradually healed.

However, the blood shed was far too much. The recovery was also clumsy.

‘He’s still not conscious.’

I needed to find a place to rest nearby.

Somewhere… there must be a place to rest.

So I continued walking without resting.

Finally, within a dark, damp cave, I collapsed and lost consciousness.

With a sense of relief that we were safe now.