Chapter 29 - A Place to Belong [3]
"Mmm~ This tastes so good!" Camila exclaimed as she stuffed the food into her mouth at an alarming rate.
After grabbing my food stash hidden inside one of the buildings before the fight, her eyes glistened with hunger.
It made me uneasy how her personality had done a complete 180 at the mere mention of food.
"You're exaggerating. Those are just canned goods and hardtack."
"No, this is a delicacy! I'll definitely pay you back, I promise. No matter what."
"I mean, whatever floats your boat, I guess... Wait, when was the last time you ate a proper meal?"
"The last time I ate? I think it was around... three days ago?"
Hearing her say that so casually made my brain freeze for a moment.
"Three days ago… three days ago?!"
If she hasn't eaten in three straight days, how long have I been asleep?
"...Camila. Don’t tell me I slept for three days." I looked at Camila with sullen eyes, waiting for her to answer.
Surprised by my intense gaze, she almost choked on her food and nodded after taking a sip of water.
"Mhm, you did." She confirmed.
"I... I see." I sighed at how badly injured I truly was.
Ignoring the fact that she looked like a chipmunk, I delved deep into my thoughts, trying to organize the events that led up to this moment.
It’s hard to believe that so much time has passed, and my current condition explains a lot why I'm all patched up—is what I wanted to say, but no.
The fact that the wound on my leg healed completely was NOT due to just three days of sleep.
As time goes on, I feel less human ever since that strange stone embedded itself in my left arm.
I try to act like everything is fine, but I shouldn’t forget that the Exitium stone is a catalyst for world destruction, for crying out loud.
"Ah, that’s right, I forgot to tell you," she said, resuming her conversation after gulping down some water.
"How does your weapon work? It looks like alloy magic, but at the same time, it isn’t. I’ve never seen anything like it."
"My weapon? Oh, are you talking about Libera?"
"If you're talking about the gun you blasted me away with, then yes."
The weapon she referred to was Libera, which broke after I fired three bullets in quick succession. Despite the gun's broken state, she kept it anyway.
Hmm, so what excuse do I come up with now to hide this unnatural ability?
'Alloy magic...' I recalled a familiar term she had used. That was what I was supposed to learn once I mastered mana control, though I forgot about it when I realized how limited it was.
Alloy magic is similar to one of Ichor's abilities, Form, but a significant downgrade compared to Ichor.
As if Ichor wasn't unstable enough, the most I could achieve with Alloy Magic is to create a cube with a hollow shell. I've improved since then, so I could do much better if I had Alloy Magic.
Honestly, I'm glad I didn't learn Alloy Magic. Imagine if I spent years mastering it only to switch to Ichor later—that would not be very pleasant.
Right now, the best I could do with the Ichor is form Libera, a portable rail cannon.
While it's already a devastating weapon that harnesses countless types of magic, I can only imagine the upgrades I could achieve by incorporating different kinds of magic.
It's the perfect weapon for me. In mathematical terms, I can classify my mana power as any number.
When I multiply that by the amount of Magic Arts I can simultaneously use, and how well they synergize with each other, I can then add these up exponentially with the Ichor's innate compatibility with mana.
What started as a simple peashooter has transformed into a powerful rail cannon, proving extremely effective against Eldians.
Nodding my head in satisfaction that allowed me to take advantage of everything under my arsenal, I stood up from the bed after lying down for too long.
So I went up to the table and held my hand out to the remains of the Libera.
"Hmm? Ah… right. Sorry for being unable to do anything with it."
“It’s fine, you don't have to worry about it."
Considering how she didn’t pry into what happened with me, she must have assumed that I had lured the Eldians away rather than killed them.
I can't really blame her for thinking that. Eldians disintegrate into ashes within minutes of dying, which likely contributed to her misconception.
—Fwip…!
‘Alright…’ I closed my eyes, preparing to engage in my usual routine—something I have done every day ever since returning to Earth.
As if it were a natural action, numerous strands sprouted from the tips of my fingers, resembling a work of art.
My current goal was to collect the broken shards. While it might not lead to anything significant, this process would convert the excess Ichor into extra mana.
After absorbing the Ichor back into my arm, I formed even more threads. With each passing second, the strands' density increased, beginning to take shape as the object it once was.
'5, 6…' I counted silently in my head. With each number, I reminded myself that the faster I worked, the more time I could save.
“15… 19.” Time passed in the blink of an eye, and what hovered over my hands was a renewed and perfect replica of Libera.
“Alright, that should do it.” I smiled. In just a few weeks, I had improved by five seconds compared to my last attempt.
The experience of using it during a fight helped me increase my focus.
I guess those battle maniacs weren’t wrong when they said the best way to improve is by facing death’s grasp directly.
—Clank!!!
“How did you…?” Camila dropped her spoon. What she witnessed was enough to make her forget the food on the table.
“I can't tell you the details, but I suppose you could call it Alloy Magic…?” I offered a vague explanation.
On a whim, I thought it would be clever to use Alloy magic as an excuse,
“Alloy magic… my ass!” she retorted immediately.
Only to be shut down immediately. Bummer.
“That magic… no, your mana control is unlike anything I have ever seen before!” Camila approached me, cornering me against a wall.
It was as if she didn’t know the meaning of privacy.
“Do it again.” She grabbed my shoulders, her body so close to mine that I could feel her breath tickling my face, causing me to halt my thoughts completely.
I tried to pry her away, but realizing how much stronger she was compared to my small frame, I couldn’t do anything against her.
At this point, the only good trait I had was my magic control. It hurt a little to think about it.
"Okay, okay! Just calm down. Can you let me go already?"
"Oh, sorry. It's just that you look so cute and I can't help it."
"I don't think that's a valid excuse in the first place."
"Yeah, I know."
"..."
Today, I realized that showing this to Camila may not have been the best idea, despite what she said in the end.
"So do you want me to form a specific object or...?"
"Anything is fine."
"Sigh… whatever you say."
—Vooom....
I decided to create an antique handgun in this day and age. For me, it’s the opposite, as this world is set almost a century ago than my previous world.
To demonstrate the process, I extended the fingers of my left hand in all directions and began to shape them.
Golden threads emerged from my fingertips, forming intricate patterns that flowed into one another, cycling until they fused into the object I desired.
From the start, just creating a single part, like the barrel or the cartridge, was challenging enough that I had to assemble everything manually.
Using Form relies heavily on muscle memory and precision to be effective, so I’m grateful I took the time to learn the anatomy of a handgun, despite my earlier intention to procrastinate.
As I focused on crafting the pistol, Camila observed me, remaining silent until I finished.
"Amazing…" That was the only word she uttered during the entire process.
"There, satisfied?" I flipped the pistol around to inspect its structure after it was finished.
The pistol I had imagined and remodelled was an M1911. It was the only firearm I could think of, the only one I had memorized adequately for some reason.
"Wanna try it out and see if it works?" I threw the gun over to her.
"Huh? W-Whoa!!" She barely caught the pistol I threw. After that, she began examining the weapon, taking in every detail.
Unfortunately, I can't process gunpowder, so I infused the elements needed for it to fire.
Could I technically supply people with an endless amount of weapons as long as they are with me?
…That’s something to also consider in the future.
"Test it outside if you want to, if you're still unsure." I stood up and stretched, having enough strength to at least walk around.
"…G-Got it." She agreed, and together we left the room.
I hadn't realized it until now, but the food I had given her was already gone when I wasn't looking.
As we walked through the house, or what remained of it, I took my time looking around, mindful of the lingering pain in my body, especially in my left leg.
Though I was still suffering from the lingering pain, I could walk as long as I didn’t make any contact. I used Ichor to form a barrier around it just in case.
"They really wrecked this place whole, huh." I remarked. The Eldians had torn it apart as if a fierce tornado had passed through.
I didn’t ask her about it, but Camila seemed to be feeling a mix of bittersweet emotions when I talked to her a few minutes ago.
However, her expression right now looked completely different from before, as if she had discovered the last piece needed to get everything back on track.
—Tap...
She stopped walking after we made it in front of what appeared to be a destroyed building—the same one where I had fought the Eldians.
The relentless destruction caused by the Eldians had turned it into an open space.
I'm surprised Camila managed to find me when she was on the other side. Otherwise, I'd likely be dead.
"...Hello? You've been silent for a long time," I said, feeling uneasy with the lack of response from someone who had changed their personality so many times.
—Bang! Bang! Bang!
"What the—? At least warn me that you're going to shoot!" She fired the gun without any notice. It was so deafening that I had to cover my ears.
—Bang! Click! Click! Click!
Camila continued shooting even after the magazine was empty. While it was nowhere near the firepower of Libera's, it could at least make a dent against the Eldians.
"You…" She muttered.
At this point, I lost my patience with her strange behaviour.
"Tch! Say something already—”
"If it's you, then it's possible…!"
Camila cut me off, her eyes brimming with tears as she struggled to keep her emotions in check.
"…What now?"
"Arcadia... we can go to Arcadia!"
"Hey, can you please just? Speak. Normally?!"
I shouted, my frustration growing. It was becoming increasingly annoying to be left in the dark.
“Do you even know how to get up on a flying island without any—”
"There's an active teleportation circle that could take us out of here from Arcadia."
Upon hearing that, I flinched.
"With what we are about to do now with that magic of yours. Then we might be able to escape from this damn hellhole."
...
...
...
“…I see. But what does that have to do with me, though?" I shook my head, prioritizing my own concerns.
Hope or not, I have no idea what she was talking about.
"Sure, I can make a gun from scratch, but you’re overestimating my abilities when we both know that this flimsy pistol can't do anything against them." I tried to make a solid point, hiding Libera's true prowess.
"No, that's not it. I have another plan in mind."
"Another plan in mind?"
"Yes. Can you make anything with that magic?"
"...Theoretically. As long as you give me an idea, then maybe I'll be able to do it."
"Then that’s perfect.”
"What?"
I was surprised, not expecting a positive answer.
As she spoke, she fiddled with the locket tucked inside her chest. Unsure where to focus my gaze, I looked away.
“Can you make this?" She handed me a blueprint stored in her necklace and her bosom.
"L-Let me see that." I hesitantly grabbed the blueprint and slowly opened it.
If she considered this paper significant, it had to be beyond my expectations.
—Rustle...
Every time I unfolded the blueprint to examine its contents, I felt a mix of nervousness and curiosity about what she was trying to reveal to me.
Was it a weapon that could potentially be stronger than mine? Why did she have this in the first place, and why was it hidden between her breasts?
As I finally laid my eyes on this piece of work, I examined the blueprint and felt… stupid.
"H-Huh? Is there anything wrong?" She became concerned when I showed no reaction.
...Well, she wasn’t wrong. This was a blueprint for a weapon that could genuinely be called a masterpiece—something that could even kill Eldians. But there was one problem—scratch that, one big problem.
—Fwip!
I gave her Libera, which was hanging from my pocket.
"Here, take this."
"This is the gun you were using, but why give it to me?"
“It’s… um, complicated.”
I scratched the back of my head, trying my best to explain it without ruining her expectations.
“Well, you see… that is the thing."
“The what?"
"The… you know, the blueprint you gave me."
...
...
...
"Ah."
"Sorry."
Telling her the harsh truth, Camila’s life flashed before her eyes, and she had the same expression as me—utterly devoid of emotion.
We both felt the same way.
Camila was thrilled that the treasure she had protected with her life could finally come to life, but now all she could do was stare at it; her expression perfectly captured the word “nothingness.”
