When Joy arrived at the place where the Partlan family members were, she quickly washed herself off and threw herself onto the bed.
Her mind was filled with countless thoughts, but in the face of the overwhelming fatigue that consumed her, she was powerless.
Before she even realized it, she had fallen asleep, but upon waking up, she quickly lifted her head and looked around. When she confirmed that she had returned, she let out a slow sigh and slouched her shoulders.
Right. It’s over, right? There’s no longer an enemy here.
“Relaxing your guard so easily...”
“Eek!?”
“No.”
At the voice that came from the side, she screamed and, forming a spell, fired a cursed bullet in the direction the voice came from.
“Though your appearance is shabby, your magic seems fine. Lady Arln has trained you well.”
However, the curse did not reach its target. The intruder casually waved their hand, scattering the curse.
Joy was horrified by the intruder’s power, but quickly prepared another spell.
The opponent is a mage far superior to me. If I confront them directly, I won’t stand a chance.
But that doesn’t mean I’m willing to just die. I can at least buy time until the Partlan mages arrive.
“Before you sharpen your gaze, wipe the drool off your mouth. What’s a noblewoman like you doing losing her dignity?”
“...M-Master?”
“Yes. It’s me.”
The great archmage Erginus, looking at his disciple with a hint of disdain, then sat down in a nearby chair.
“Driving away the darkness...”
“As you can see, it ended well. If you’d like, you can call me the god of darkness.”
“Thank you, but I’ll pass. A god of darkness sounds a bit much, don’t you think?”
“Hmm. It’s not exactly a positive title. The previous generation should have been suitably chaotic.”
Erginus laughed lightly, watching Joy hurriedly fix her face, before speaking again.
“You did well yesterday. The skill you displayed was incredible, especially considering it came from just a few days of training.”
It was a sincere compliment, but Joy did not feel any joy upon hearing it.
“No. I’m lacking.”
Yesterday, Joy had followed Lucy to rescue the Fairy Forest and defeat the dark god, but what she gained from it was nothing but a lament for her own powerlessness.
“I nearly got my friends killed because of my mistakes.”
Lucy had said it was unavoidable, that it was the best they could do, but Joy didn’t believe that.
If Lucy hadn’t dealt with the dark god at that time, if she hadn’t trapped the dark god in a trap amid all that pain and fear, they would all have been dead.
It was me who confidently said I had a solution. So, the responsibility for the failure lies with me.
“I’m really such a hopeless idiot.”
I thought I could do it. I thought I could help Lucy this time. I was sure I could.
But what’s the result? I failed miserably again, and made my friends experience a terror they will never forget.
“Everyone goes through it.”
Joy, who had been sobbing, thinking she was nothing but a hindrance to her friends, was surprised by the dry answer and looked up.
Erginus, with his hand on his chin, looked at her with a faint smirk.
“Who in the world doesn’t make mistakes? Everyone lives like that.”
“But I...”
“Nearly got your friends killed? I’ve done the same. I’ve done things out of sheer curiosity that put others in danger countless times.”
Like the time I almost died trying to collect dragon blood. Or the time I exposed an opponent’s strength and ended up in a hostile situation when it could’ve been avoided. Or when I defied the god of magic and ended up unable to use magic.
“I’ve done countless things wrong. Even the reason the Fairy Forest became tainted with darkness is partly my fault.”
He spoke flatly about his own mistakes, then saw Joy standing there silently, staring blankly, and let out a small chuckle.
“But tell me, do you think no one else has made mistakes? Of course not. The hero constantly led us down the wrong path and caused us trouble. Garard always caused problems by flirting with women whenever we passed through a village. Luell, that stubborn old man, started fights over things that could’ve been resolved peacefully.”
Erginus wasn’t the only one who made mistakes. They all did, according to their own personalities and actions. That’s why they could travel together.
They knew they were all as foolish as the next, so after a sigh and a curse, they discussed how to solve the problem.
“Lady Arln may be noble enough to be chosen as the apostle of the gods, but that doesn’t mean she’s an infallible superhuman. Even this incident—if Lady Arln had tried to kill you, it wouldn’t have been strange.”
“No. That’s...”
“The responsibility for involving you lies with Lady Arln, since she’s the one who brought you into this. You know that.”
Erginus easily interrupted her attempt to deny it, then, seeing the confused look in her eyes, clapped his hands together, making a sharp sound.
Startled, Joy instinctively shrank, and Erginus gently continued.
“Is Lady Arln your friend?”
“...Yes. Of course. Lucy is my precious friend.”
“In that case, throw away your sense of obligation. A true friend isn’t someone you deal with based on benefits.”
Joy spoke impulsively, then stopped, her gaze dropping to the floor.
A friend is someone who supports each other. There’s no need for a calculation of gains and losses.
If someone wants to help me and I want to help them, that’s enough.
What Erginus is trying to say is something like that.
I understand it and can accept it, but...
Hmm.
It seems like it will take me some time to truly internalize it.
After all, I’ve received so much from Lucy.
Updated from freewёbnoνel.com.
“Honestly, you seem like someone who wouldn’t bleed even if you were stabbed with a knife, but why are you so much like a little girl inside?”
“Isn’t that just another kind of charm?”
“Yes, you’re quite charming. It almost makes me jealous.”
At the touch of a hand settling on her shoulder and the voice that followed, Joy straightened her back in surprise.
“Y-Your Majesty, the Queen?”
“Yes, it’s me. Surprised?”
At the queen’s darkened gaze, Erginus hurriedly spoke up.
“Your Majesty, please calm down. This child is just—”
“I know. She’s my disciple, isn’t she? She remembers that I broke the darkness she commands.”
“Then...”
“It was just a joke. I’m not a petty woman who would get jealous over a simple conversation, you know? Besides, Erginus’ taste leans more toward the mature side, doesn’t it?”
“Cough! Cough!”
Erginus’ face turned bright red as he awkwardly coughed, and the queen let out a soft laugh.
In the warm atmosphere, Joy exhaled a relieved sigh, then clenched her fist as a voice once again brushed her ear.
“Thank you for saving me, modern-day mage.”
The queen’s gratitude touched her heart, and only then did Joy fully realize what she had done.
Nothing went as planned, and she made countless mistakes, but she had helped Lucy save the Fairy Forest.
She had resolved the lingering regrets Erginus left from the mythological era. Free from the guilt, Joy bit her lip, fighting back tears.
“If you wish, I could become your spirit.”
“That would be difficult, Your Majesty. Spirit magic is too convenient and easy to become reliant on. For a mage, it would likely become poison.”
“Are you worried I might steal your disciple?”
“Honestly, yes. Her talent is so extraordinary that even when I was being difficult, I wanted to claim her.”
“...What?”
“What do you mean by ‘What?’ Now that we’re done, are you planning to sever the connection?”
“Ah. No! Of course not! It’s just... I mean...”
“Haha. It’s cute how flustered you are.”
Surrounded by two beings close to divinity, she had no choice but to be content with being treated as cute.
Around lunchtime, Arthur, summoned by the First Queen, walked toward her tent, deliberately ignoring his fatigue.
That person seems very interested in you.
“It’s nothing. She probably just wants to know what happened.”
Hmm. I’m not so sure. If I were managing the country, I wouldn’t let you off so easily.
“Really?”
Your personal ability aside, those you’re connected with are quite influential. If I can use you, I will.
From the perspective of someone running the country, it seems I’m quite the useful pawn.
Considering it’s a piece of advice from the former Soladin, it makes sense, but I’m not sure if I’m actually useful.
“Welcome, Third Prince. Are you feeling well?”
“Yes. Of course. I haven’t done much, so I’m not sure why I feel tired.”
Not tired? Didn’t you wake up screaming in the middle of the night a few times?
Arthur silently cursed and faked a smile.
“Is the First Queen doing well? It seems like she hasn’t stopped working since the battle began.”
“Well, I’ve been staying a bit away from the front lines.”
That’s also a lie. The sword at your waist is still radiating energy.
Arthur, too, had heard from other knights that the First Queen had never stepped away from the front lines.
After Benedict Arln and his knights left, she had always been at the front, encouraging the knights, and she hadn’t even taken a moment’s rest since then.
Lucy Arln’s informants seem to be wary of the First Queen, but her dedication to the country is sincere.
“Let’s cut the pleasantries. The reason I called you here, Third Prince...”
“Yes, please, go ahead.”
Is it about yesterday? I don’t even know where to begin.
First, I’ll give most of the credit to the saint, and then...
“What do you think about the engagement with the Arln family’s young lady?”
“...Pardon?”