"So, it's time for me to go now?"
Jefrin said, a smile on her face as she looked at Luna.
Astina and Rudy lay asleep on the ground, with Luna seated next to them.
"Yes."
Hearing Luna's reply, Jefrin pondered the terms of the contract she had with Astina:
Neither Astina herself nor Jefrin can engage in combat in this place.
Once Astina falls asleep, Jefrin must leave this place immediately.
By 'place,' it refers to inside the castle.
However, there was a loophole in this contract.
Technically, after leaving 'this place', they could engage in combat outside the castle.
While this seemed like mere wordplay, contracts often hinge on specific phrasing.
That's why it's crucial to specify terms to prevent such manipulation.
'You shouldn't make agreements hastily.'
Astina had quickly entered Rudy's dream.
Considering that, she might have missed this loophole.
"Well, take care then."
Jefrin said to Luna, then discreetly made her way out of the castle.
Luna watched her intently until she was out of sight.
Once she had disappeared to a certain extent, she opened her magic book.
"This must be what Astina mentioned..."
Recalling Astina's words:
If we don't wake up within 2 hours, inform those nearby.
Yet, Luna felt that there was a deeper intention behind those words.
If Astina had meant just that, she would have discreetly relayed it to Luna, ensuring Jefrin didn't overhear.
Additionally, Luna had watched the agreement Astina made.
But something felt off.
The usually meticulous Astina was somewhat careless in finalizing the contract.
At that moment, Astina had given Luna a meaningful look, seemingly suggesting she should pay close attention to the contract's details.
"This must be it..."
Luna activated a magic circle from the book.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})The book emanated light, and a small flame rose from it.
The flame shot up into the sky.
Bang!
It burst like a firework, pointing in the direction Jefrin had gone.
It was a faint flare, hardly noticeable unless one was looking for it.
After setting off the flare, Luna clasped her hands together.
"Ugh..."
Suddenly, a soft noise came from the side.
"Huh?"
Although Astina had just fallen asleep, Rudy began to stir.
Luna rushed to his side, asking,
"Rudy, are you alright?"
Rudy, clutching his head as if in pain, furrowed his brow.
Then he spoke,
"Luna..."
Glancing around and seeing Astina still asleep, he said,
"Seems I'm back."
Luna, observing Rudy's state, let out a sigh of relief.
"Thank goodness..."
Luna couldn't help but worry.
In the end, both of them could have been in a situation where they could die.
Even though Astina had stepped in, the uneasiness didn't completely dissipate.
Still, seeing Rudy in good health brought a smile to her face.
Rudy glanced around.
"How much time has passed?"
"Not much, I think. Probably less than 10 minutes."
"…Does time flow differently in dreams and reality?"
Rudy picked himself up from the ground.
"If it hasn't been long, then that guy hasn't been gone for too long either, right?"
"Huh?"
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})Luna tilted her head in confusion.
"We can't let her escape. After all, we've captured a rebel."
The conversation Astina and Rudy had before waking from the dream went as follows:
-Rudy, once we're outside, we can't be certain about how much time has passed or who will wake up first, but we must capture that rebel immediately upon waking.
Jefrin.
When Luna first heard the name Jefrin, she reacted as if it sounded familiar.
And there was a reason for that.
-That guy is a renowned wizard for illusion magic. The Eternal Sleep spell, which you experienced, was a widely-discussed spell in research papers.
-We can't let her slip away. She's a big deal.
Rudy stretched his body and got to his feet.
"Which way did that guy go?"
Jefrin swiftly utilized her body enhancement magic to escape the area.
‘If I can just get a little further and meet ‘him’…’
The rebels hadn't stationed all their forces within the castle.
They had dispersed troops outside the castle.
These weren’t the ones planning to fight directly but were reserves, waiting to intervene if the situation got messy.
Above all else, with ‘his’ magic, they could assuredly turn the tides of battle.
Because in this war, ‘he’ was even more skilled than Jefrin.
As Jefrin was rushing out, the sky seemed wrong.
A rumbling resounded.
“What’s going on? Why’s the weather suddenly…”
Dark clouds began to move ominously.
Though it had been clear, the surrounding clouds turned a dark shade, especially close to where Jefrin was.
Sparks then began to erupt from these clouds.
The sparks congregated and struck the ground.
“What the…!”
Caught off guard, Jefrin reflexively dove to the side without even thinking to use a protective spell.
“Ah…!”
BOOM!
A bolt of lightning crashed down.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})As befitting its reputation as a heavenly flame, it incinerated its surroundings.
The ground where the lightning had struck was scorched black, with faint currents still evident nearby.
Jefrin stared, wide-eyed, at the charred earth.
She quickly surmised this was no coincidence.
Where on earth was this coming from?
Jefrin struggled to determine if this was a result of magic, elemental usage, or some other technique.
An unseen assailant.
A one-sided attack.
She grunted in frustration.
How did they know to target her?
She had made a swift exit right after encountering Astina.
Considering the ambush from those kids earlier, it felt as though they were well-aware of the rebels' plans.
Logically, skilled individuals would be stationed at critical locations, especially with the need to fend off magical beasts.
They surely couldn’t afford to divert any extra hands.
‘How did they know I was fleeing?’
Focused in her escape, Jefrin failed to notice the spell Luna had shot into the sky.
The surrounding noises of battle with the magical beasts and soldiers' shouts drowned out the sound of the spell.
Even for an experienced wizard like Jefrin, the situation made it hard for her to think clearly.
“For now… I need to escape quickly…”
BOOM!
“Kieek!”
Another lightning bolt struck right in front of Jefrin's path.
Had she acted a split second sooner, she would've been caught in it.
In her current state, she couldn't defend against such powerful magic.
It seemed even stronger than the magic wielded by Astina.
"I need to hide."
Rather than fleeing, Jefrin decided to conceal herself first.
"What is this...?"
The arrogant demeanor Jefrin had displayed in front of Rudy's group earlier was nowhere to be found.
Only fear remained.
She hid beneath a massive rock.
Given the vast, barren landscape typical of the northern region, the only available cover was scattered boulders.
"Mist of Illusion!"
Jefrin invoked her spell.
Almost immediately, the surroundings grew hazy, as if engulfed by a thick fog.
Hidden behind a stone, she shrank back.
The Mist of Illusion spell spread a mist, filled with mana, which rendered the caster undetectable.
It was clear someone was targeting her from a distance without revealing themselves.
Being targeted from afar meant someone was using a detection spell to pinpoint her location.
So she decided to hide using the Mist of Illusion and wait for a moment.
BOOM!
CRACKLE!
Ugh...
The sound of continuous lightning strikes echoed nearby.
Fortunately, the lightning, which had seemed so accurately aimed at her, appeared to strike randomly.
She waited for a few moments.
"Is it over now?"
The onslaught stopped.
"They couldn't possibly spam such a powerful spell indefinitely. Heh..."
Though Jefrin managed a smirk, her legs trembled uncontrollably.
Using the boulder for support, she staggered to her feet.
"I should flee for now..."
Thud, thud.
Footsteps approached Jefrin from the side.
"What...?"
Due to the Mist of Illusion, the fog made it challenging to identify the approaching figure.
"Who... who are you?"
She yelled in the direction of the sound.
The rebels were rumored to be lurking outside the castle.
Given the persistent lightning and the thick fog, she figured they might have noticed the anomalies and sent someone to investigate.
Straining her eyes, Jefrin tried to get a clearer look.
Thud.
The footsteps stopped momentarily.
Thud, thud, thud...
The pace quickened.
Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud!
Suddenly, the person broke into a sprint, charging right at her.
"Huh?"
And then the figure came into Jefrin's sight.
"You're too late."
It was Rudy Astria.
"How... how did you...?"
Jefrin was speechless.
Even if Astina had entered that dream, she couldn't fathom how they'd managed to emerge from it so quickly.
And then Rudy swung his fist.
"Whoomp!"
Jefrin swiftly dodged to the side.
Rushing in, Rudy's punch squarely hit the rock where Jefrin had been hiding.
It was a massive rock.
A rock more than five times the size of a human.
Crack…!
However, the rock began to fissure upon taking Rudy's blow.
A rock of that monumental size, shattered by a wizard's punch…
Boom!!!!!!!!
And then, the rock crumbled to pieces.
"Ah…"
Bits of the destroyed rock fell around Jefrin.
Rudy, staring intently at the shattered rock, turned his gaze towards Jefrin.
And then he spoke.
"Found you."
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