Chapter 47 - I Didn't Hear

"Light's twins, black crown, jealousy, swallow, darkness, dark"

"Ishia! Are you okay?!"

Though Raphael shook the muttering Ishia vigorously, she didn't even move. She just kept muttering something with unfocused eyes.

Raphael thinks this symptom is brain damage from the impact of flying earlier, but the reality was completely different.

She is concentrating. Not just concentrating, but hyper-focusing to the point it could be called ultra-concentration.

Currently, nothing around her is entering Ishia's mind.

Only one thing enters. The technique structure and chant of 5-line incantation "Black Crown". The reason for this is simple.

She realized it. The truth.

At first it was self-loathing. Why am I so weak.

Self-loathing like - if it were Lee Seonghoon or Sophia here instead of herself, could Raphael have avoided injury─

Of course even the old Ishia would have fought for Raphael. Saying things like 'A hero fights for the weak!'

But the current Ishia was different. Her reason for protecting Raphael was a bit different.

─Who else would believe in our maid if not me?

─You can win. I've seen things normally.

─You can even endure my 10-line incantation!

She can't even use 10-line incantations. She's weaker than Lucy Violet. All she normally does is support Lee Seonghoon and get treated like an idiot.

When it really matters she just watches from behind or gets saved. She's an incompetent person even she finds pathetic.

Yet Lee Seonghoon believed in her. As if it was natural. As if she could do it if she tried.

Why? If she voiced the question filling her mind, there would be only one answer.

─Because you can do it.

So she wanted to live up to it. Ishia had never received expectations before.

When young she was called a genius, but at some point she never beat Lucy Violet even once.

Her father is clearly a good person. A good person who treats her well, but stingy with praise.

It was like rain in a drought. Lee Seonghoon's words.

The reason she could roll around in ranking battles all day as he said, and throw herself at Silvia for Raphael.

It was all because she didn't want to betray his expectations.

However.

─Tricks only work among those of similar levels.

─Not fun. Why are all magicians so one-dimensional?

She lost. Without inflicting a single wound. Flying and hitting her head on the wall like this.

The old Ishia would have given up here. But now she thinks.

'Tricks don't work. How can I win?'

A way to win. A way not to give up.

─Don't have chant battles. That's what "Parallel Chanting" and "Magic Chant Breaking" were about, if you can't do those listen well to the tricks I tell you.

'"Parallel Chanting" and "Magic Chant Breaking"'

If tricks don't work, then the proper method. She can't chant. She'd be subdued instantly if she tried. Then all that's left is "Magic Chant Breaking".

Ishia recalled what Sophia told her.

─Hmm~ I don't know well either. I don't know about "Parallel Chanting" but I have "Magic Chant Breaking" as a skill.

─If you don't mind I can tell you what I heard from someone I knew long ago.

─They said don't trust the technique. It seems perfect, but it's not. They said constantly thinking is best? What's with that expression of not understanding? Well, I don't understand either.

She didn't understand what it meant. Even now it's the same, but she needs to understand.

'Doubt the technique.'

Technique and chant.

Processes absolutely necessary to manifest magic.

But "Magic Chant Breaking" skips all those processes and just produces results. It means ignoring the law of causality.

If such a thing is possible, why is chanting necessary?

Why?

At that one word Ishia's eyes opened. Her eyes that were closed while stuck to the wall opened, but weren't looking anywhere.

Why.

The ripples brought by that one question were tremendous. Along with a shock like being hit in the back of the head, her thoughts accelerate.

Why? Why is chanting necessary? Why not just technique but chanting too?

What's the role of chanting? Is the role technique has not enough? Why?

Questions lead to more questions. When answers to questions come out, questions about those answers, in endless questions Ishia's mouth moved along.

"Black crown, darkness, dark, technique, 3 strokes, light's twins, oh darkness."

It doesn't stop.

Techniques are drawn in her mind. Not techniques drawn through magic circles, but magic itself larger and more precise than that.

Questions create techniques. She doesn't know the principle. As she keeps thinking a technique pops up without her knowing.

And she understands.

What is chanting. What is technique.

Originally realizations start from trivial things.

And that trivial thing was always one.

Question. Why?

There was someone who questioned seeing an apple fall.

There was someone who questioned that the earth is flat.

That's how it is originally. Questions starting from trivial things cause ripples, and when those ripples grow uncontrollably.

That's when realization is gained.

When techniques are drawn in her mind, and she understood all those techniques, finally something else entered Ishia's view.

It wasn't much. Something less than the realization just gained─

[You have acquired skill "Magic Chant Breaking (EX)".]

That's right.

***

Skill.

One of three abilities allowed to humans that appeared along with mana. An unknown power with nothing properly revealed yet.

It doesn't consume magic power, nor require any price. Just an unidentified ability that suddenly appears one day and lives together for life.

Of course, there were many people who tried to research such skills. Even if they stuck to researching, there wasn't much they could find out.

There was only one thing they could find out for certain.

Just the situations for gaining 3 skills. It's a bit funny that's all so many people sticking to research could find out, but

It was enough for Ishia to understand the current situation.

Situations for gaining skills.

One is birth, one is crisis, one is growth. Then what's the reason a blue window appeared before her eyes now.

That was too simple. It means the [Skill] system recognized Ishia's growth.

Though she felt a bit happy at that fact, that's not what's important now.

'How long was I thinking?'

Don't know. It felt like she kept thinking for an eternity. When she tried to get up to look around in surprise─

"Huh? Ishia? Why did you suddenly stop muttering!! Is this death?! Are you dying?! Seonghoon!! You killed her!!"

Shake shake shake

In her violently shaking vision Ishia grabbed Raphael's hand. Only then did their eyes meet as she made an "Eh?" sound.

"I-I-I-I-I-I'm fi-fi-fi-fine. St-st-stop."

Her words trembled from Raphael shaking her so much. Ishia grabbed her arm and forcibly stopped her with a feeling of wanting to die.

"Are you really okay? You were muttering strange things earlier?!"

"Yes. I'm fine thanks to that. More importantly how long has it been? Feels like I was here quite a while?"

"30 seconds."

"?"

"30 seconds. You muttered for about 30 seconds."

Lies. It felt like she kept thinking for at least 3 hours. Yet 30 seconds? Though inwardly surprised, she felt relieved.

So that's why Raphael is fine. Ishia jumped up and looked around. If it's 30 seconds that Silvia woman should still be nearby.

While thinking that and looking, something unbelievable entered her eyes.

A man facing Silvia. A black-haired man. Though wearing a strange skull mask and wrapped in a black robe, Ishia could tell who it was at a glance.

'He came to save us again?'

How many times is this? How many times has she been saved by him since meeting Lee Seonghoon. Ishia felt both apologetic and grateful looking at him.

She even felt a strange sense of relief, but now it's her turn to step up. She can beat that woman now.

Thinking that as she walked to help Lee Seonghoon. She heard strange sounds.

"As expected we must be fated. I didn't know you'd think of me that much."

"Um. I think you've misunderstood something. That's not what I meant─"

"What? You want me to bite you so we can be together forever? Okay. It's my first time sucking blood with the other's consent so I'm nervous. Don't worry. I'm a wealthy woman."

"You crazy bitch! Listen to people!!"

"Aww. Even cursing at me!!"

"....."

Ishia carefully observed their situation at the sounds she heard. A woman twisting her body with her face similar to Ishia's hair color. Lee Seonghoon flustered and rambling to such a woman.

Hearts are flying and only the surroundings are dyed pink. When that scene entered her eyes something rose in Ishia's chest.

Surge─

Ishia's brow furrowed at the suddenly rising emotion. She observed Lee Seonghoon and Silvia with narrowed eyes, then raised her hand.

[Skill "Magic Chant Breaking (EX)" assists magic "Dark Pillar".]

Boom─!!!!

A pillar appearing with a roar. The pillar separates the two people. The pink-dyed surroundings from just now disappear and both their gazes gather on Ishia.

"Someone was fighting for their life, but someone was trying to flirt with that opponent...?"

Goooooo.

A dark aura envelops her. It looks like an optical illusion, but it's not. It's her actual dark attribute magic power enveloping her body.

"W-wait a minute!! Ishia I think there's some misunderstanding, this woman just said things on her own? You heard our conversation just now right? Right? Please say you heard─!!!"

"I didn't hear."

She smiled brightly. Lee Seonghoon's face turned pale as he tried to explain saying this and that, but none of it entered her ears.

She didn't know why she felt so bad, but she just felt bad.

She felt like she was flying after seeing the truth of magic just now, but crashed to rock bottom in an instant.

Veins throb on her forehead, her eyes are smiling but her mouth isn't at all.

"It's karma. Let's leave him? Seonghoon~ Ishia says to escape on your own~"

"What? Wait!! Don't say things like that. Ishia. Let's fight together? Okay?! Please!! Aaaaah!! She's coming!! She's coming!! Did I bring holy water? Don't come?! I'll throw it if you come!!"

"There's no interference. Now it's just the two of us. There's nothing to interfere. Are you getting shy now?"

Nooo─!!! Ishia snickered watching Lee Seonghoon run away screaming.

"Are you really not going to help?"

She shook her head at Raphael's question. Of course not.

Ishia felt like she could win anything now.