One World, One Family (1)
Grancia Castle, Magic Tower.
The revived magicians gathered and looked at the state of the magic circle on the top floor.
The power of the white beam of light shot by Helios, the Tower Master of Sky Chamber, gradually weakened.
Even if they repaired it, it was only a temporary solution. It seemed impossible to completely block the light.
"Isn't this bad?"
Someone opened their mouth, and everyone silently agreed.
They just didn't want to say it out loud.
"I thought it would give them some trouble, but it couldn't even do that. Have they already figured out the destruction method?"
"Well, your magic has been around for 30 years, so it's quite possible."
"Magicians feel the passage of time. Is this a generational difference?"
"It's probably because there's a monster-like person there."
In fact, the other tower lords were not very significant figures.
The problem was the old man who looked middle-aged, the Tower Master of Sky Chamber.
He commanded everything and shot the beam of light.
The magicians gathered in Grancia Castle glared at the magicians trying to penetrate their barrier.
"Wow, Helios. That guy's still alive."
"Do you know him?"
"Escolleia Academy classmate and roommate."
"What kind of person was he?"
"Due to his mysophobia, he threw away a few of my things, probably."
"No, I'm asking about his skills, you idiot."
"What's there to say about his skills? That beam of light magic must have been created by him."
"He must be very talented."
The magicians clicked their tongues.
70% of the barrier had disappeared.
In 30 minutes, it would be completely penetrated, and the thick curtain would be completely lifted.
Once that happened, the siege would begin in earnest.
Their barrier was being penetrated, but they remained calm.
They had all been revived and had their own goals.
A sense of mission to protect the continent, the desire to extend their lives by returning to their heyday, and the curiosity to explore more of this changed world.
They had one thing in common: they had no thoughts.
Not the fact that they had failed to defend, nor the fact that they would soon have to fight with the readiness to die.
"There's not much excitement."
"That's right. Why is that?"
"Isn't it because we've experienced death once?"
"Is this the feeling of coming back to life and dying again? I should record it and pass it on."
"It's fitting that you have the nickname Record Maniac. Let it go. The Black Sky Tower is good at such things. She'll do better than us lagging behind."
The magicians laughed and put on their robes.
"Let's do our best to fight."
"Yeah, we have to. That Helios guy, I'll definitely make him eat dirt."
"How are you going to make him eat dirt?"
"I'm going to burn his beard. That alone will complete my great achievement."
"The implementer of the teleportation theory will change to the one who made the Tower Master of Sky Chamber eat dirt, indeed."
They went down from the tower.
It was to protect the ground forces on the city walls.
Finally, the barrier was completely penetrated.
The soldiers standing in the field began to move.
The siege of Grancia Castle continued.
Although they were all famous heroes, the war went on like a numbers game, pushing through like a flood.
The siege of Grancia Castle ended very easily.
***
The white signal flare, a sign of complete occupation, went up in the sky.
The cheers of the soldiers who were about to wage a siege echoed like waves.
Freesia drank her tea with a sour expression.
"I thought the fight with those losers would be the most fun, but it's over before it even started, isn't it?"
"That's right."
Reed also felt that the outcome of this battle was somehow unreasonable.
'The last fortress. They gathered all the heroes and fought like a demon king for the last time, but there were hardly any casualties.'
He thought that even if they couldn't make it through half, there should be at least four times more casualties among the knights than now.
Reed told one of the wizards who entered the castle about the hero's appearance through communication magic.
-I'll look into it.
A moment later, a voice came into Reed's ear as he was waiting for the report.
-I report. There is no one who matches the description you provided.
There's no hero?
Does that mean the castle was empty?
While harboring such doubts, Reed received additional news.
-Among the revived forces, the nine half-dragons are also missing.
The hero, who should have been defending the castle, and the nine half-dragons had disappeared.
Freesia, who had overheard the report, glanced at Reed and said,
"It seems like they ran away to live?"
"If it were any other human, they would, but he doesn't seem like the type to do that......"
Reed didn't know about the half-dragons, but the hero was certainly not the type to do that.
The more he doubted, the more Reed couldn't hide his anxiety.
Freesia, who had no way of knowing Reed's thoughts, threw out another guess.
"Hmm, then could it be a deception tactic? Like leaving the entire castle as bait and going for our main base, that kind of bold move."
"Our main base…"
Going for their main base?
Accepting Freesia's speculation, Reed could now understand the cause of his vague anxiety.
"Rosaria."
***
Phoebe rushed into Rosaria's room, holding her in her arms.
She pushed aside the clothes hanging in the built-in wardrobe and pushed the wall inside, revealing a hidden space.
It was a shelter with one chair and one light.
A place where mana couldn't flow from the outside and where no one could detect it.
It was a place to hide her in case someone targeted Rosaria.
"Miss, you must never come out. You have to wait here."
"What's going on?"
Phoebe didn't answer Rosaria's question.
She smiled and hugged Rosaria.
"Do you want to touch my horns?"
Phoebe lowered her head and showed her horns on both sides.
Rosaria reached out with both hands and touched her horns.
The rough and rugged texture strangely comforted her.
"Don't worry. There's just a little disturbance, and I'll stop it right away. You're just playing hide-and-seek for a while. Understand?"
"Yes."
"Now, hide."
Rosaria went inside and closed the door.
As she heard the door closing, Phoebe's smile disappeared.
She stepped out of Rosaria's room.
Her destination was the first-floor lobby.
She didn't need to take the elevator, she just threw her body straight to the first floor.
Kuong!
Phoebe landed on both legs.
She stood up straight without showing any sign of pain from the impact.
The magicians guarding the entrance were all groaning, injured.
The one who left those injuries was undoubtedly the man she was staring at, the man wearing a white mask.
Anger boiled up.
Not only did he enter the tower recklessly, but he also laid hands on her subordinates.
Her golden eyes shone sharply.
"Ah."
As Phoebe's field of vision widened, she was momentarily flustered.
The figures standing behind the man wearing a white mask.
They were people she knew well.
'My siblings......'
The nine half-dragons who had died in the Astheria family tragedy.
Seeing their faces, memories of watching their deaths vividly tried to torment her.
She closed her eyes again.
To fulfill her role, she strained her eyes.
"This is not your living room. It's not enough to break in recklessly, but you also laid hands on the tower's magicians?"
She warned him politely and heavily.
The man in the white mask said this.
"They won't die."
"I can't end it with just not dying."
"Unfortunately, I don't have time to fight you."
The white mask didn't adjust his grip on the sword and moved with it on his shoulder.
"Enjoy your reunion with your siblings."
"Where...!"
Phoebe charged at the intruder, reaching out to rip out his heart.
With her speed and power, she should have aimed accurately.
She should have.
However, the hero's sword had a special ability.
The power to rewind time.
That power rewound the time around where Phoebe had been standing.
Her leaping body returned to its original position.
Unaware of anything, Phoebe realized that the hero had disappeared from his spot.
In a situation where the film seemed to be cut, Phoebe was flustered.
'How?'
The elevator moved.
Reflexively, she noticed that she had already boarded the elevator and tried to jump towards it.
As she was about to leap towards the fifth floor, she was startled.
Once again, the film seemed to be cut, and the elevator was already on the 40th floor.
'What's going on?'
Phoebe looked down at her feet and realized that she had already tried to jump once.
The broken tiles on the floor proved it.
'That hero has a power that makes him untouchable.'
But she couldn't just let him go.
Just as she was about to go up again.
"You won't be able to reach that man, Captain."
The voice of a missed man stopped her.
They were not just half-dragons.
They were once a family that had grown together under her.
Phoebe didn't try to climb up recklessly.
Because they would undoubtedly have the ability to shoot her down as she leaped up.
"It's been a long time, Captain."
"Odiman......"
She quietly called his name.
The half-dragon showed a smile to Phoebe, who called his name.
"You still remember, even though we've been dead for a long time......"
"How can I forget the names of my family?"
"You still haven't let go of the Astheria name. I know because I heard it from Saul."
Saul.
Yes, Saul also guarded this tower.
"What happened to Saul?"
"He's alive. He only injured the other guards, didn't kill anyone. He just made it take a long time to recover. We can't kill our family, can we?"
At his words, Phoebe felt relieved inside.
Her concern for him was momentary, and now her safety was an issue.
"Do you plan to make me powerless like Saul?"
"Captain, we don't intend to fight you. Saul used such a rough method because he couldn't communicate. Besides......"
"Besides?"
"He abandoned our father."
"Yes, that's a despicable thing."
Phoebe agreed with that.
"I feel the same way. There's nothing to gain from fighting you all. But I have something to protect."
"You're talking about that little girl? We know. We all heard."
Odiman nodded as if he understood.
He smiled bitterly, as if apologizing, and said to Phoebe.
"But you must let the hero go to that child."
"Do you mean just to watch?"
"If you love this world and you love that Tower Master, you must."
"What kind of nonsense are you talking about?"
Phoebe frowned and stopped using honorifics.
The fact that he mentioned Reed was unpleasant to her.
"As long as that girl exists, this world cannot be saved."
"What do you know about her to blabber so recklessly?"
"She is the source of the disaster. It is the hero's job to remove that source now."
Remove her?
Does that mean to kill her?
Then she must go and stop him right away.
But it's impossible to go through these siblings here.
Nine of them. There are too many.
Moreover, the space is narrow, and someone could get hurt or killed if she acted rashly.
What should she do?
How can she resolve this situation?
Phoebe's body swayed.
"Give up on that girl. Then, you can be happy with the one you love, Master."
"Happy...?"
"It's simple. Sacrifice the small for the greater good. If left alone, that girl will only make this world darker and more painful. In such a world, you and the Tower Master cannot be happy."
"......"
Phoebe looked confused, and Odiman reached out to her.
"Let's join forces again, Captain. For this world and for our family."
Family.
Once again, the tragedy of that time echoed in Phoebe's head.
The healed wounds opened, and the pain poured out.
Phoebe cried on the spot, tears streaming down her face.
"I understand. I'll follow you, for the sake of family......"
Two half-dragons approached and comforted her.
"Let's go, there's no need to stay here any longer."
At Phoebe's words, Odiman and the other half-dragons went outside.
They thought their mission was accomplished.
As they went outside and faced the sunlight.
Kwajik!
In the quiet plains, the sound of flesh tearing echoed.
The half-dragons looked surprised and turned their heads.
Two of them, who had been supporting Phoebe from behind, had their chests pierced.
The one who dealt the fatal blow that pushed them to the brink of death was none other than the crying Phoebe.
"Captain... why...?"
Their bodies slumped with a short death rattle before dying.
"You are truly kind siblings. So... you must have comforted me like this and brought me outside."
The girl who had been crying like a baby closed her eyes.
A cold warrior opened her eyes.
She swung her hands downward and cruelly knocked down the two with pierced chests.
The two half-dragons with pierced chests undoubtedly fell dead with their breath cut off.
Seven left.
The confusion was brief, and they were able to draw a conclusion.
"From the beginning... this was your plan."
Saying she would go for the sake of her family was a deception to make her opponents let their guard down.
