◇ ◇ ◇
Last month, when Master took me to that fancy restaurant for my coming-of-age celebration.
"I thought a lot about what to give you for your birthday, but in the end, this was the only thing I could offer."
Some time after I'd poured out my worries to Master, he handed me several sheets of paper with a self-deprecating, wry smile.
When I looked down at them, they were covered in densely packed spell formulas.
"…Master, is this one single spell?"
It was an understandable question.
Anyone could tell at a glance that the contents were spell formulas.
But the sheer volume was abnormal.
I'd once been shown the formula for [Space Leap], widely regarded as one of the highest-difficulty spells, and I immediately understood I couldn't use it in actual combat at my current level.
The spell written here was on the same level as that one.
"Yeah. I originally wanted to split it into six parts, but I ran out of time. Sorry it's half-baked."
"No, not at all! But… isn't this your original spell, Master? It feels similar to the basic six support spells somehow."
"As expected of an enchanter, correct. You know I use a unique buff that only works on myself, right?"
"Yes. It's your original magic that gives higher boosts than standard support spells, isn't it?"
"That's right. I call it [Layering]. But this spell doesn't work on others. Until recently, I didn't know why. Now I finally figured it out. And the spell I just gave you is a modified version of [Layering] that can be used on others too."
"This is… the buff spell you always use, Master…"
"It's been heavily modified, but the effect should be the same."
"…This is incredibly valuable. Isn't this your original spell? I've never developed an original one myself, so I can only imagine, but I know it takes tremendous effort. Is it really okay to give something like this to someone like me so casually…?"
"Don't say 'someone like me.' You're an excellent enchanter. Besides, I plan to make this spell public within the clan soon anyway. I was looking for testers first, and you were the perfect fit. So use it without holding back. I'd appreciate regular feedback on how it feels. Assuming you can master it, of course."
Master said it in a teasing tone.
He was probably just saying the "tester" part to ease my guilt.
"…Thank you, Master. I'll definitely master this spell!"
"Yeah, I'm counting on it. Oh, and one piece of advice for you, Rogue—"
◇ ◇ ◇
By activating [Double Layering], I managed to cancel out the boy's debuff.
"…?"
The boy, also an enchanter, seemed to notice the change in my aura and showed a hint of caution.
Having grasped a bit of the knack with [Double Layering], I constructed another spell formula and activated it.
"…[Triple Layering]!"
Master uses this repeatedly in combat.
Just how high is the wall I still have to overcome?
Each time I perform [Layering], the headache worsens.
This is my current limit.
I can't do any more [Layering].
That means no refreshing the buffs either.
But fortunately (or unfortunately), my support magic duration is far longer than average. About four hundred seconds.
I'll take those two down within these four hundred seconds!
"—! Fred, fall back!"
"…Huh?"
The moment I kicked off the ground, the girl shouted.
I closed the distance to the boy in an instant and thrust my spear.
The boy couldn't react at all. I aimed to pierce a vital spot while avoiding a fatal blow, but the girl moved at incredible speed, stepping between us.
She caught the spear tip with her blade.
I pushed hard with the spear, sending both the girl and the boy behind her flying.
"Amazing… Even under debuff, this much power…"
"What strength… Fred! Buff me!"
The girl, who had taken the fall properly, called out to the boy.
[Layering] has such insane spell construction difficulty that I can't use it anymore, but other magic is still possible to some extent.
Headaches? If enduring them lets me avoid a future where Carol gets hurt, I can take as much as needed!
Though overusing it would make combat impossible, so I can't spam it.
I calmly and objectively assessed my situation while continuing the fight.
Master always drilled into me that this is the essential condition for fighting with self-buffs.
I'm furious enough to boil over, but charging in blindly won't do.
I activated multiple [Thunder Arrow] to attack the pair.
The boy intercepted them with magic while simultaneously buffing the girl.
The buffed girl closed in.
(I've done mock battles against swordsmen so much with Master that I'm sick of them. You're weaker than Master, I won't lose…!)
The spear's advantage is attacking unilaterally from outside sword range.
Master slips through it effortlessly, but against normal swordsmen, even if slightly less skilled, I should win.
Plus, I now have [Layering] buffs.
That was what I thought, but the girl was an exception.
"—!?"
At first it was even, but gradually she gained the upper hand.
The reason was her sword.
The proper sword length for a swordsman is said to be half to two-thirds of one's height.
But the girl's sword was nearly as long as she was tall, far beyond proper length.
Normally, she should be thrown off balance by it, but she wielded it with perfect control.
As a result, even though it should have been spear range, once she stepped in, her blade tip threatened me.
Moreover, the long blade made her swing tempo hard to read compared to normal swordsmen.
If I tried to block with my usual timing, the blade was still too far away, making it extremely difficult to fight.
"Guh…!"
The girl exploited an opening and swung down.
I caught it with the horizontal spear shaft.
The weight of the sword itself combined with the girl's buff-enhanced strength bore down on me.
Thanks to [Layering], I managed to hold, but I couldn't keep it up long.
(I have to do something…!)
As I thought that, lightning arrows flew at me from both sides.
The boy's attack magic.
"—!?"
Pinned down by the girl and unable to move, the incoming lightning arrows suddenly froze in midair.
Then they reversed course and flew back toward the boy.
"Why!?"
The boy dodged while shouting in surprise.
"I can at least cover for Rogue right now…!"
Sophia's voice came from behind.
It seemed she'd used [Psychokinesis] to reverse the attack magic.
Reversing attack spells, something like that was possible…?
Unique abilities really are amazing.
I wish I had one too, but wishing for what I don't have is pointless.
I have to fight with what I've got!
That resolve was good, but my current situation was dire.
The worry of follow-up attack magic was gone, but I was still being crushed by the girl.
(How do I turn this around…!)
—'One more piece of advice for you, Rogue. When you feel absolutely cornered, try repeating "I am a shadow" in your mind. It might turn the situation around.'
While desperately searching for a breakthrough, Master's words from last month came to mind.
I didn't know why he'd said that back then.
But right now, I didn't have many options.
If I was just going to be cut down like this…!
(…I am a shadow.)
I firmly repeated in my mind what I'd vaguely thought during negative moments since childhood.
"Eh—"
Suddenly, the sensation of the ground disappearing beneath me.
And I sank—not into the ground—but into shadow.
◇
In the next instant, I was drifting in pitch-black darkness, like floating in water.
"Haha… Master really is something else…"
I'd never once considered that the emotion I'd always struggled with since childhood was the trigger for my unique ability.
The first time I told Master about it was during my coming-of-age celebration.
Yet he'd immediately seen through that it was the true nature of my unique ability.
Even though it was pitch-black and empty, for some reason I felt calm.
I wanted to stay here a while, but there was no time.
"All right! Here I go!"
◇
I burst out from the shadow extending behind the boy.
Perhaps sensing my presence, the boy turned with a shocked expression.
I slammed my fist full-force into his face.
"Fred…!"
Seeing the boy fly several meters and collapse, the girl turned killing intent toward me and closed in at incredible speed.
"…He's your little brother, right? Then why… why can you get angry when he's hurt, but hurt your little sister Carol like that!!"
As the girl swung her sword, I struck her blade with my spear shaft while shouting.
"…Shut up… Stay out of it, outsider who knows nothing!!"
"He's not an outsider! He's my comrade! I can't stay silent when my comrade is being hurt!"
At my words, rage flashed across the girl's face.
She swung her sword repeatedly.
I blocked with my spear while manipulating my own shadow.
The shadow extending from me writhed, taking the shape of a wolf and materializing.
The shadow wolf lunged at the girl.
"What's that?"
Matching the wolf's movement, I attacked with my spear, but the girl ignored it completely, slicing the wolf in half while parrying me.
The wolf collapsed, scattering like black liquid in all directions.
Each droplet reshaped into tiny needles.
Sensing danger, the girl leaped back and readied her sword.
Countless needles flew toward her. She swung her blade, scattering them with the shockwave, which then turned into an attack against me.
I dodged the slash while activating magic.
"[Earth Wall]!"
I raised a wall taller than the girl on her flank.
It was just an ordinary dirt wall, no tricks.
But a wall suddenly appearing naturally drew attention.
The moment the girl looked toward it, I slipped into my shadow.
Then I burst out from the shadow created by the dirt wall.
Same method I'd used to punch the boy earlier.
The girl reacted instantly, spinning around and slicing through the shadow version of me.
"Clone!?"
In that moment of shock, I emerged from the shadow at her feet, slipped inside her sword range, and tackled her to the ground.
Then I bound her with materialized shadow vines and backed away.
"…My win. I won't kill you. But apologize to Carol, and atone for the sin of killing people."
"…Naive. You had the perfect chance to kill me, yet you settled for restraint."
When I said that to the girl, she looked at me with cold eyes and spoke dismissively.
"Maybe so. I can't forgive you for hurting Carol either. But I don't want to become a murderer."
"Whatever. Fred, please."
At the girl's words, her figure vanished from before me.
"—! [Space Leap]!?"
I immediately realized she'd vanished via [Space Leap], and when I looked around, the boy—who had somehow recovered—and the girl were standing right beside the unconscious Abel-sama.
And the girl's sword, swinging down toward him, had frozen inches away.
Sophia wore a strained expression. She was holding the girl's sword still with [Psychokinesis].
I immediately slipped into shadow and burst out from the boy's shadow.
"That's the third time."
"Guaah!"
The moment I emerged, the boy's voice rang out, and I was blown back by a shockwave.
Thanks to the buff, it wasn't fatal. I immediately took a proper fall and regained sight of the pair.
"Haa… haa…"
Every time I moved through shadow, it felt like my stamina was being drained wholesale.
Was it the same as Sophia tiring quickly from using her ability?
"You naive goody-two-shoes make me sick. You must've lived in a peaceful little world, huh?"
The boy muttered with rage-filled voice before trying to activate magic—
"—Fred, we're leaving."
The girl suddenly spoke.
"…Huh? That's too sudden. And we haven't finished the job the [Doctor] assigned—"
"The [Doctor] just ordered us to get back immediately. Apparently things are getting interesting on their end, and the lord's son doesn't matter anymore."
"Ehh… what?"
The boy showed a deflated attitude at the girl's words.
"Being jerked around by the [Doctor] is nothing new. Hurry up and construct the spell. We need to get back before that person gets in a bad mood."
"Yeees…"
"Hey, wait! I told you to apologize to Carol!!"
From their conversation, I could vaguely tell they were about to leave somewhere.
My buff was about to run out soon too, and considering the headache and exhaustion, honestly part of me was relieved.
But letting them hurt Carol this much and then just walk away? No way!
"…"
Hearing my words, the girl looked at me coldly for a moment, then shifted her gaze to Carol.
"…Caroline."
"…!"
"Third Research Institute. That's our current base. Do whatever you want with that information. But if you make enemies of us, we won't hold back."
With those words, the boy activated [Space Leap], and both of them vanished again.
I stayed on guard and scanned the area, but their presence was gone.
Just to be sure, I had Sophia check too. She couldn't sense them either.
◇
After that, we waited for the debuff to wear off and for Abel-sama to regain consciousness.
"Sorry for causing you trouble."
After explaining the situation to the awakened Abel-sama, he apologized.
"No, not at all. If you hadn't protected us from that first explosion, we might have died. Thank you for saving us."
"You're Orun-kun's precious disciples. After forcing such a harsh role on him, if I let his disciples die, not only Orun-kun but I myself would curse my own existence. Protecting you was for my own self-preservation."
Abel-sama gave a self-deprecating smile as he spoke.
"A harsh role… what exactly is Master doing right now?"
"…Normally I shouldn't say anything. But given what's happened, I have no choice. Still, let's return to the mansion first. It's dangerous there too, but with defensive magical tools, it's safer than here. Sorry, but can we talk in detail after we get back?"
"Understood. Those two might come back. Sophia, sorry, but can you keep watch on the surroundings?"
"Sure, of course! Rogue, are you okay…?"
"Haha… Honestly, my head hurts, my body's spasming from overexertion—not exactly in great shape. But I'm fine."
"I see. Rogue, thank you for saving us!"
Those words alone felt like salvation.
Lately I'd felt inferior to the two of them, wondering many times if I even deserved to stand beside them.
I was weak. My resolve had been lacking too.
But maybe, just maybe, I could acknowledge myself a little.
There were still plenty of challenges ahead, but for now, I could rejoice that I hadn't lost my comrades.
After cleaning up the aftermath, Sophia, Abel-sama, and I prepared to head back to the mansion, but Carol remained slumped on the ground with the expression of an abandoned puppy.
"Carol, what are you doing? We're going back together…"
"…Eh…"
When I called out to her, Carol made a face of utter shock, letting out a dumb sound.
I didn't know the right way to interact with Carol, what was correct for her.
But the words that burst out of me while desperately constructing [Layering], those were my true feelings.
Carol is "an irreplaceable, precious comrade."
"'Eh' isn't an answer. I said we're going back to the mansion."
"B-But… I tried to leave you two…"
"Huh…? Did something like that happen?"
"…Eh?"
When I played dumb, Carol gave me a look like she couldn't understand. Well, of course.
"I overused magic, so my head hurts like crazy right now. I don't really remember what you were trying to do earlier… You were trying to save me and Sophia, right? Sophia?"
When I turned to Sophia, she seemed to understand my intention and smiled brightly as she spoke.
"Yeah. I was under debuff and my head was all fuzzy, so I don't remember the details, but I definitely remember Carol desperately trying to protect us!"
"See? So there's no problem with Carol being with us. She's our precious comrade, a member of Twilight Moonbow. So let's go back together."
When I said that to Carol, a single tear rolled down her face.
"…Yeah…!"
And from Carol came a small, but powerful, reply.
◇ ◇ ◇
"Well… passing grade, I suppose."
After watching the entirety of Logan Hayward's battle, I murmured my impression.
"Did you say something, Titania?"
Luuko, intercepting the endless stream of magic beasts pouring from the labyrinth entrance, asked.
"No, nothing. The overflow seems almost over. Once it's dealt with, head to the Eddington mansion."
"…Why the mansion?"
"It seems the kids partying with you were attacked by bandits, lost their escort and carriage. They're heading back to the mansion now."
"W-What!?"
"Exactly what it sounds like. The party kids and the lord's son seem safe for now. But they're probably mentally exhausted, so hurry up and finish here to regroup."
"Of course! Titania, lend me your power! I'll wipe them out with spirit magic! We can't waste any more time here!"
"Fine. Let's wrap this up quickly then."
After literally sweeping away the magic beasts, Luuko immediately ran toward the mansion.
While following her, I looked toward another place.
There, Orun Dura stood facing the 92nd-floor boss of the southern great labyrinth, the black dragon, along with dozens of dragon species.
"I knew it… but he started moving too late… This flow… can no longer be stopped, can it?"