SWNOVELXO Chapter 124
Whoosh!
A dazzling flame blossoms in my sight. The surrounding temperature skyrockets.
Tiny sparks swirl around Yor like grains of sand.
Yor furrows his brow in shock at the sudden assault.
“What the heck is going on?!”
Honestly, he had a right to feel a bit aggrieved. Just because this supposed childhood friend wanted to chit-chat, he didn’t sign up for a surprise attack.
Could it be that he hurt her feelings by rejecting her? No wonder he was taken aback.
Strangely enough, the flames weren’t that hot. It wasn’t like Yor had suddenly developed fire resistance.
Libya was adjusting her own firepower.
If she actually went all out, his skin might melt off like the adventurer he saw earlier, yet she was holding back, maybe not wanting to hurt him. Oddly considerate.
“I don’t want to hurt you. So just come over here, okay?”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Fireworks exploded around him, noisy as if to threaten him.
Honestly, the brightness bothered him far more than the heat.
Yor grimaced. Given the situation, he figured there was no way to talk things through.
So he needed to fight, but mindlessly attacking felt wrong.
After all, they had some history, and she used to follow him around as a kid. He couldn’t just throw punches.
Perhaps it was too sudden of a blast from the past, but he couldn’t help but wonder if she brought up the orphanage just to toss him off guard.
‘…No way, that’s ridiculous.’
Nonetheless, he quickly dismissed that thought. He had never mentioned where he came from, so knowing that would mean it wasn’t a lie.
Thus, Yor made a decision.
‘First, I need to subdue her.’
Like she was holding back, he too planned to show some restraint while controlling her. He was curious about how she climbed the ranks to become a captain and why she wore those tiny sunglasses.
And so, the fight commenced.
With magic, Libya restricted Yor’s movements while he aimed at her arms with his spear. Thanks to the swirling sparks, the battle looked quite spectacular.
“…?”
Meanwhile, the Knight Commander stared, utterly puzzled.
Whatever was happening, the most notorious figure was focused solely on Yor.
Thanks to that, what he thought would be a tough battle was actually progressing smoother than expected.
‘This is my chance.’
Because of this, Serena thought it was the perfect opportunity to charge ahead. If she dashed quickly, she could destroy the altar before anyone realized.
She shouted to her subordinates.
“Now’s the time! Everyone charge up! Let’s take advantage of this!”
“Wooooo!”
The cheer echoed. Thankfully, her troops could recognize an opportunity.
The knights and adventurers unleashed the strength they had been holding back.
Startled by the intensified assault, several Lemegaton cultists urgently cried out to Libya.
“Captain, we don’t have time! If you don’t stop them, the altar will…!”
“Shut up!”
Of course, Libya didn’t have the luxury to worry about that.
Right now, Yor was far more important to her than the altar.
Why was she stressing over some childhood connection? Yor found that a bit hard to wrap his head around.
But the Knight Order surged forward.
The Otherworlders caught up in the fray felt similarly. While they were curious about the Captain and Yor’s duel, the prospect of rewards motivated them more.
“Oh no, what should I do…?”
Yoo Chaerin appeared flustered.
“Just go ahead. I’ll handle things here.”
With that, she joined the knights in a rush.
At this rate, staying put wouldn’t help much. It’d be better to break the altar fast and come back.
And so, only Libya and Yor were left in the center of the mountain.
Yor looked at Libya and asked,
“Should we talk now?”
“Will you follow me then?”
“Well, not really…”
Whoosh!
Once again, flames engulfed the area.
Thus, the battle continued.
*
After ending up alone with Libya, a childhood friend he couldn’t remember, the first thought that hit him was…
Fire really sucks. It just doesn’t mix well with me.
As your average squishy meat shield, fire gave him way too much fatigue.
The flames were blinding and uncomfortable. The embers settled on him, gradually building heat.
Its area was so extensive that dodging properly was nearly impossible.
Curiously, the spear made of mithril was bouncing back even the immaterial flames, but still, he couldn’t block every attack coming from all directions.
Honestly, it was a bit unexpected. They were both showing restraint, but Libya’s skills were undoubtedly impressive.
Every time he tried to close in, she raised a wall of intense flames, blocking his path.
She wasn’t just using heat from the flames. Those unnecessary flashy flames blinded his vision.
He had initially underestimated her as a mage, but her battle sense was acutely sharp.
‘Does she have a lot of practical experience?’
As a result, the battle dragged on for quite a long time.
Thanks to their awkward balance of power, neither of them could gain an upper hand.
However, mana wasn’t infinite, and time passed, making Libya’s breathing grow heavier.
“Hah, hah… How’s it going? You tiring out yet? Hot, right? If you give up being an adventurer and follow me now, I’ll stop with the magic.”
Still, she seemed unwilling to show her exhaustion and resorted to empty bravado.
Eventually, frustrated by the stagnant situation, he decided to take a bold step.
‘What the heck, let’s just break through.’
The wall of fire protecting her was indeed hot, but ultimately, it was only fire, lacking any physical force. If he set his mind to it, he could break through.
So he activated Blood Manipulation, surrounding himself with blood.
It was like wearing a protective shield. Since it contained magic and was harder than ordinary steel, it could block these flames temporarily.
It had been a while since he used this method, so it felt a bit strange.
Thankfully, it went smoother than he expected. Though he had to encircle his entire body, it worked as he planned.
He worried about possible side effects, but with holy water plentiful nowadays, this level of exertion was manageable.
Encased in that thin shield, he charged directly at her.
Whoosh!
He charged right through the fiery deluge in front of him. A surge of hot air brushed him, but it wasn’t intense enough to burn his skin.
In the chaos, he saw Libya’s astonishment. He quickly grabbed her arm and hurled her to the ground.
“AAAH!”
With a delicate scream, her body thudded against the floor. Taking that chance, he leapt on her and pinned her down.
With a smirk, he said,
“Finally, we can talk.”
For some reason, her face flushed unexpectedly.
Not that he cared, he mentally repeated her name.
‘Libya, Libya…’
Faded memories started to sharpen. She definitely retained some features from when they were kids. Over a decade had passed, yet those beautiful features remained.
The cute child had grown into a striking beauty.
“You’ve grown up beautifully.”
Though her personality seemed a bit off…
To be honest, it was surprising that she remembered him from childhood and seemed so happy to see him.
Would it be a lie to say that didn’t feel nice?
But if she asked if he could follow her now, that would be a hard no.
“I’ve got a lot of acquaintances here.”
It hadn’t been long since the knights declared a truce; now she wanted him to follow her?
That sounded like he would have to become enemies with the knights again. He really didn’t want to create more enemies.
Even aside from that, he had plenty of connections here, and there were many reasons not to join Lemegaton.
As he explained, her expression turned sulky, clearly displeased with his answer.
But seeing that she had lost, there wasn’t much she could say to him.
He wanted to ask her a few questions after that.
Why did she leave the orphanage? How did she end up in Lemegaton? Where did she learn such magic? He had plenty of questions, after all.
But unfortunately, time was of the essence.
He could hear the knights approaching from a distance, and it left him momentarily agitated.
‘Already?!’
He hadn’t expected them to arrive so soon. It seemed they had taken the altar already or had he just been fighting longer than he thought.
In the end, he had no choice but to let her go. With the knights coming in, he urged her to flee.
He regretted having to release her, but once she met up with the knights, she would surely be executed. No way could he just watch an old orphan friend die like that.
Though she probably had committed some crimes.
Being a criminal himself, he didn’t think much of it.
As he released her, she looked blankly at him for a moment before speaking.
“…I’ll come visit soon.”
Libya left those words behind as she made her exit.
He sighed.
“Hoo…”
It was nice to run into someone he used to know, but this was going to get annoying.
Standing there lost in thought, it wasn’t long before the knights appeared.
When they saw him, the knights gasped.
Chaerin, startled, hurriedly handed him a blanket.
“…Wow.”
“Holy crap, we need a picture of this.”
Some Otherworlders suddenly whipped out their cameras at the sight of him.
Not understanding their reactions, he cocked his head.
But that thought was fleeting as he checked his own body.
Thanks to Libya’s flames, his upper body was charred.
His sturdy pants were the only thing hiding his lower half.
‘Ohhh.’
Realizing that, he quietly nodded.