Chapter 3 Blade of Night, Act II

The girl's name is Milia Albert, and her sister's name is Renalia Albert.The two sisters were born in a hotel street in a small town in the east, and were kicked out for some reason. They came to the capital to make a living about two years ago.As for the reason for being kicked out of Hotel Street, Giselle did not ask in detail.After all, it's something that is obvious at a glance, and the girl herself is not too willing to recall that bitter past. Elder sister Renalia works as a waiter in the tavern "Bear Wash Pavilion" on the outskirts of the West End.As a half-demon, this is already a very lucrative job. Half-demon girls—especially those with the blood of beautiful forest elves—are usually sold as ornamental slaves, and many girls end up as slaves. For whores.

Compared with the surrounding villages and other countries, Fei Li's capital has less prejudice against half-demons.This is a veritable "City of Hope", so it's not uncommon for half-demons to come here looking for jobs.However, the salary in the tavern cannot fully support the family, so Renalia will also perform as a bard in various taverns. "By the way, will she go to 'Rainbow Parrot' too?" "Yes." Hearing Giselle's inquiry, Miria nodded. "The people there won't have too much prejudice against us. This is what Renalia—my sister told me."

"Rainbow Parrot" is also where Meltina works. It is an elegant tavern where many bards gather.For people who love art, the fallen are just trivial things. My sister hasn't come back for three days.The girl said bitterly that she had no clue about this bizarre disappearance, and she didn't think her sister would leave her alone. "Sorry, I should have come to help, but I have already asked for leave from part-time work today, so..." After asking, I found out that the girl was also working in a laundry shop. "Where do you work? If necessary, I might come to ask about some things."

"Well, that...sorry, please keep me secret, after all...if the matter of hiring a depraved person like me is exposed, it will also cause trouble for the employer..." This is the unspeakable secret of the laundromat itself, and it is also a helpless thing. The two agreed to see each other tomorrow, so Giselle sent the girl back to a collective dormitory on the outskirts of the West District.After all, the sun has already set, and the half-demon girl cannot be allowed to walk alone at night.The sisters lived in a quaint dormitory with brick and tile structure, which was neater than expected.This is a two-story building that could be called a residence.This dormitory is full of laborers who also came from the surrounding towns.

"Thank you very much." At the door of the dormitory, Milia bowed deeply.When she raised her head, her eyes were moist. "Really, thank you very much for accepting my commission. That... I am very happy." Giselle and the girl bid farewell and turned to leave, but the girl did not enter the dormitory, but kept watching the boy leave.Miria, who met her eyes, smiled shyly and waved her hand lightly. "It must be found..." First, Gisele decides to head to the Bear Washing Booth.Since there are no decent clues now, it is necessary to grasp the whereabouts of Renalia on the day she disappeared.

The tavern "Bear Wash Pavilion" where she works is located at the end of a narrow and winding path.This is a large wooden house, and the signboard hanging at the door has peeled off paint, and a bear washing its face can be vaguely seen on the signboard. "welcome." Walking into the tavern, I heard a deep and loud male voice. The lighting in the store is not enough, so the store is a bit dark, and the piles of wine barrels make the store look a bit crowded. "What would you like to drink?" "Well... then, let's have a glass of milk." As soon as he finished speaking, Zhuang Shuo, who was very suitable as the owner of the "Xiongxiong Pavilion", was a little stunned.

"That's it, it's not like..." Giselle took copper coins from her wallet and placed them on the bar. "Actually, I'm not a guest." Looking at the frowning pavilion owner, Giselle said. "I'm looking for Renalia Albert, I heard she works here." "Ah." The pavilion master agreed, looking at the young man suspiciously. "Indeed, Renalia is our waiter. But she has been absent from work for three days without reason, and we are also very troubled." "Actually, she disappeared three days ago. Her sister is worried, so, well, if you know anything, can you tell me..."

"Hoho, I didn't expect that child to have a younger sister." The pavilion owner blinked in surprise. "But I'm sorry I didn't know, and she has been absent from work for no reason. We are already very busy here..." "You mean, that half-demon lady—" At this time——someone interrupted, it was a man who was sipping mead at the next table. With a "boom", he put the wine glass on the table and looked here with a blushing face. "Hehe...I, at the time, thought she was having an affair with that man." "That man?" Giselle was a little confused.

"How could it be?" The pavilion master laughed it off. "He is the priest of 'The Greatest Favor'." "Ha, don't care if he's a priest or not, he's a man anyway. Doesn't he often come to look for that young lady?" "I think he's just worried about her. After all—well, we pay that child very little, and his life seems to be very difficult, so we often come to introduce her to other odd jobs." "Well, what is 'The Greatest Favor'?" Hearing Giselle's question, the pavilion owner answered in surprise. "Don't you know? It's a charitable organization. They raise money for orphanages, introduce jobs to the poor, and sometimes give relief to needy families. It's a beloved organization."

"The people over there still often come to Renalia?" "Yeah, I remember that person's name is Simon... Seeing that he is wearing priestly clothes, he probably is a member of the Holy Cross." "Well, what did he say to Renalia?" "Ah, I know." Looking back, the eyes of the person next to him with flushed cheeks were shining, and he was looking at Giselle meaningfully. There was no way, Giselle could only take out copper coins from her pocket and put them on the bar. "Boss, give him another drink." "Hey, thank you." The man picked up the cup and giggled non-stop. "I just happened to hear a few words. I don't know the specifics. It seems to be about the instruction of musical instruments. In addition, it seems to be the teaching of etiquette. Anyway, that's about it."

"Instructions for musical instruments, and etiquette...?" "I remember there are some strange content, it seems that near the poor street, there is a place called San Bentaruno Church, which is now a disused church. Anyway, they seem to have talked about things there." "The abandoned church in the poor street..." Although it was all vague information, there were no other clues. Giselle gulped down the milk brought by the kiosk master. * I ran over and saw that there was a deserted street. It is said that there was a fire here about ten years ago. The fire almost destroyed all the houses and scorched the ground. Now it has become a slum area full of simple sheds.Moreover, Giselle just came to the capital three years ago, so she only knows about the fire.Speaking of which, I remember my sister also said that it seems that there are always suspicious fires in the churches in the capital recently.It seems that even the abode of the gods cannot escape the clutches of the flames.Naturally, the Church of San Bentaruno could not escape the fire ten years ago—— The surroundings were pitch black, and there was no way around it. After all, there were no street lights nearby, so we could only rely on the moonlight.On the way, he also passed by a duo of security guards who were patrolling.I always feel that the atmosphere is a bit dignified recently, but considering the commotion of the "fanatics", it is understandable. This is a murderer who attacks young women and burns their heads.What is his purpose?Giselle suddenly had an ominous guess.Could it be that Renalia's disappearance is related to the commotion of the "fanatics"... Passing through the streets lined with wreckage, the boy came to a slightly wider place.Here are some trees that have survived the fire, and the branches seem to be quivering restlessly. Looking around, I saw some kind of brick-and-tiled building in front of me, like a continuous black shadow, somewhat obstructing the line of sight.This building seems to be the outer wall, and it is very conspicuous because it is less damaged.According to the conversation just now, the abandoned church should be nearby. Giselle stopped and looked around again. At this time—— The evening wind that was blowing suddenly became turbulent, and some sounds could be heard in the wind. It was the sound of fierce collision of iron and iron, steel and steel. That was the sound of swords and halberds clashing, that is, the sound of fighting. (In the end, who is fighting...?) Then a man's yelling could be heard.It seemed that there were several people, and the voices came from around the corner. Giselle hesitated a little, after all, he had no reason to casually get involved in this kind of wild fight.Giselle's purpose is to find people, not to fight.Although I also understand this kind of thing-- There was a nervous hiss in his throat. Giselle rushed over.At this time, timid words are not suitable for adventurers. Turning the corner, Giselle got into a battle of roars and swords and halberds. Then he saw it.The jet-black long hair that merged with the night kept flying.Like dancing under the moon. Several men with sharp swords and spears in their hands formed a circle. And the gorgeous dancer who dances in the center is a very young girl. The clash of swords and halberds formed the accompaniment.The twin swords held by the girl shone brightly, preventing the men's non-stop slashing attacks one by one, and at the same time counterattacked to repel them.Whenever the high-pitched metallic sound screams, dazzling sparks will bloom in the night.No, not just sparks.The bright red flowers will also bloom with the counterattack of the blade, which is stained with the blood of the men who attacked.What illuminated here were a few torches that rolled down on the ground.In this scorching light, the girl's slender body shuttled between the men's blades, counterattacking like a wild beast, and kept making them retreat from the stage. The girl kept spinning like a top. The girl dodged the attacking spear and jumped into the air, only to see that the two swords in her hands were completely black.With astonishing centrifugal force, the pair of twin swords cut down the men in an instant across an arc.In the splashing blood foam, the girl's long black hair kept dancing. The girl's body is like a vicious weapon. This is a fierce blade that is darker than the night, more bewitching than the moon, and sharpened to the extreme. Giselle who witnessed this scene felt this way. Even, he was fascinated by it. "Bitch...!" The girl used her two swords to press the tip of the gun that came with the roar to the ground, and then the girl's body jumped onto the downward-sloping gun handle as lightly as a butterfly.She jumped over the man's head using the handle of the gun as a pedal.The chest of the gunman who opened his eyes wide in shock was cut open, and the men behind him also looked at the girl suspended in the air in shock. land. The boy couldn't help staring blankly. This is a very beautiful girl. It was long black hair like the night, and her white cheeks had a mysterious beauty under the bath of moonlight.She was dressed in light black attire, which looked very similar to the school uniform, and her legs were slender under the short skirt.At this time, her feet floating in the air hit the man's abdomen viciously like a hammer.The severely injured man couldn't help but let out a desperate cry and fell to the ground. This is too one-sided battle—— (Isn't it... Shouldn't riding a thousand horses be a fantasy that can only be found in ballads?) The girl singled out a group of men. Facing the men who are carrying out the wheel battle, it is indeed very exhausting for the girl's physical strength.The girl jumped back to escape the man's slash, but her posture suddenly collapsed.The men who were chasing after him looked like seasoned warriors, and the girl with a broken posture rolled on the ground to escape the sharp sword flash. In a blink of an eye, offense and defense switched.The girl's dark eyes were still calmly observing the men's attacks, but she always felt that there was still a little impetuousness and wavering in them. (Hey, now is not the time to shut up and watch!) Giselle reached for the sword belt and rushed out. "Hey, what are you doing...!" Giselle called out to attract attention while grasping the situation. So far, six men have been knocked down.But they were all still alive, just lying on the ground moaning in pain.There were four more men standing.Three of them looked over, and the remaining one didn't care at all and continued to chase the girl rolling on the ground. Gisele stepped forward and slashed at a man who was paying attention to her.When the weapons collided, they screamed, and the wrist felt a heavy numbness—the man dressed as a mercenary blocked Giselle's attack with a long sword. "What are you doing...!" If he continued to entangle, he, who lacked strength, would definitely fall into a disadvantage. Giselle stepped back instantly, and re-clutched the dagger in order to prevent the man from chasing him.The next moment the man launched a counterattack. Once, twice.Giselle turned around to avoid the long sword that slashed through the night sky.There was really no way to dodge the third blow, so Giselle had to defend with a dagger.Sparks scattered, and the scream of steel was very piercing.It succeeded, and Giselle managed to block the opponent's heavy blow with her dagger.However, the man pressed the long sword up like this, and Giselle had to struggle to stand firm—— Giselle was in a cold sweat now.Thinking about it carefully, the actual battles I experienced in the historical investigation department-in fact, the opponents were all magic dolls and monsters, and I had never fought against humans.And the biggest difference now is that there is no way to expect an excellent magician to help him here.After all, wielding a sword to buy time is not really a battle. about to be crushed— The moment fear swept through his body, the man who was still trying to cut himself off suddenly fell down. Giselle found that there was a sharp throwing knife stuck in his neck. The man fell to the ground with a groan, and Giselle jumped back in a hurry to avoid being crushed by him.I saw the girl who regained her momentum was fighting with two other men.It seemed that she knocked down the man who was chasing her at that moment, and aimed at the man who was entangled with Giselle—that is, his defenseless back of the neck, and threw the throwing knife.Really incredible technology. "It's too strong..." Originally, he wanted to save her, but in the end, he was saved by her. Giselle set up her short sword again, and rushed towards a man who was fighting with the girl. Probably that person didn't notice this. With the second wave of thrusts, the man groaned from his shoulder injury.The blow pierced the leather, and the disgust of the flesh pierced through Giselle's palm.Giselle aimed at the forehead of the man whose posture had collapsed, and struck the man with the hilt of his sword to make him faint.That leaves only— Looking back, the girl had already knocked down the last person. The girl slowly put down the blood-stained swords, and her black eyes stared directly at her. The pair of swords were also as black as the night, and the girl's side face was covered with blood like a warrior. Really, beautiful, Gisele couldn't help but sigh. "Who?" The girl raised Liu Mei and questioned with some displeasure. "Well, I'm not the enemy." Giselle hurriedly put down the dagger. "Well, I just don't like bullying the few with the more, so I helped you." After finishing speaking, the girl tilted her head slightly with her willow eyebrows.She kept her upper body facing this way and said. "It's surprising." The girl sighed softly between her lips. "Just for that reason?" "That, after all..." She didn't seem to want to say thank you.However, his joining didn't seem to be of any help to the girl.Rather, it should be here to thank the girl—— The girl's eyes are still staring at Giselle—— Just at this very moment. Feel. It was as if something had streaked through the void. At the same time, the girl suddenly jumped back.Giselle could see clearly that the girl's face was filled with anxiety. Under the reflection of the moonlight, there seemed to be something sweeping before the girl's flying black hair.A reddish streak of blood appeared on her fair neck. As soon as the girl touched the ground, she quickly set up her two swords and observed her surroundings keenly. Then found out—— a woman. This woman walked over leisurely as if walking in the middle of the night. She has long blonde hair.The warm-colored clothes on her body are also extremely ordinary styles, and she looks like a street girl.Probably between twenty-five and thirty.The facial features are neat, with a little light makeup.The plump lips reveal sensuality and unrestrainedness, which is also impressive in this darkness.But what stands out the most are the numerous earrings on her ears.It was almost like a masochist torturing her ears for fun, and her ears were covered with earrings. The woman's index finger kept spinning like a baton, and she spoke with a gentle smile. "——I also agree with the sentence just now. It's really surprising. This kind of statement is really beyond praise." Her tone was full of life and very kind.At first glance, she was not carrying a weapon.So it shouldn't be the enemy, Giselle looked at the girl beside her. However, the girl stared at the blonde girl sharply. "If not, let's have a brainstorm. Yes, it's Thinking Time." The woman's wording was a bit strange, she shook her index finger and pointed at the girl. "If it is said that this child is a thief, and we are bodyguards hired by kind nobles, then what should you do? Even if you bully more and less, it is the child's fault. In the end, you did not think about it. Yes. It’s an extremely bad choice. This is a felony, but you will be hanged, you don’t want to, do you?” That's right, Giselle nodded. Indeed, there was some truth to this woman's assumption. "So, do you want to leave honestly, or do you want to help catch this child together? If this is the case, I will be very happy." Giselle glanced at the girl.But the girl didn't care about the reaction and kept staring at the woman.No way, the boy shrugged his shoulders and looked at the woman. "I can help - if you can prove what you just said, otherwise..." After speaking, Giselle walked up to the girl and put on a posture ready to help. The woman opposite frowned. "What a headache, you are an unimaginable idiot. Are you just a passer-by?" "Well, let's just say that." "Because she's a girl? Because she's cute? In my opinion, you're just an idiot. Of course, it's also possible that this is just my own opinion. In short, you have to think about it. If this is an uncle, would you still Do you want to help? And he’s still that kind of fat uncle?” "No, this metaphor is your wishful thinking..." Giselle glanced at the men at the bottom. "Well, indeed, these guys may be bodyguards. But the weapons they use are inconsistent with swords and guns, and their skills are quite good. Maybe they used to be mercenaries. Those local tyrants like nobles and rich merchants will hire them. Strange. On the other hand, this girl is alone, and her fighting methods are too cruel. It is understandable to say that she is a thief who sneaked into a noble's house to steal things." Hearing Giselle's words, the woman nodded in satisfaction. "Perfect. Your judgment is very correct." "But..." Giselle sighed heavily. "Where do you think this is?" Giselle drew out her dagger and pointed at the woman. "How can there be a noble family in such a remote poor street!" The earring daughter suddenly opened her eyes wide. "Well, indeed, I was generalized." She shrugged openly. "So, I won't back down obediently." After finishing speaking, I heard the girl next to me sigh helplessly—it seems to have such a feeling. "Then there's nothing you can do. Xiaoxiao, I'll let you suffer a little bit." The woman puts her hands together in front of her chest.Suddenly put away his leisurely smile and began to concentrate. "Let me, Envisti, 'Empty Crack', be your opponent." Seeing her, Giselle was a little surprised. Because she didn't have a weapon in her hand. Then, it's a magician—but I can't feel the atmosphere of unfolding magic construction at all.If the opponent is a magus, no matter what trick she wants to play, her mana will fluctuate or unfold, so Giselle, who is a magus, can perceive it. (Could it be Chaos Magic...or Spirit Art?) Even so, the surrounding Mana was too calm—— At the moment of hesitation, the girl took the lead. The moment she charged straight at the woman named Envisty and was about to start a hand-to-hand fight—the girl's body was suddenly knocked down. (What's wrong……?) The girl used the inertia of falling to the ground to roll over, and managed to get down on one knee, but immediately rolled back and retreated quickly.Is she trying to avoid something?Has she avoided it already?Giselle has no idea— The woman points her index finger here and starts spinning. At this moment, the sword held by the girl's right hand was knocked flying and fell to the ground. "you……!" Giselle rushed between the two in order to save the girl— Boom, something brushed his feet. It felt like an invisible object was attacking me. Giselle fell forward, hitting the ground directly, and Giselle was suffocated by the impact. "Look, it's better to surrender honestly." The girl was also rolling on the ground, as if fleeing from something invisible.Her face was also full of shock and anxiety. (So ​​that's how it is...I'm afraid that when she fought with those people just now, her posture collapsed because of this.) Giselle stood up and took a sudden, instinctive step back.Immediately afterwards, an invisible blade seemed to be cutting towards him, and his face became hot.No, it wasn't a fever, but something that passed by made him hurt.A stream of blood ran down Giselle's face. (What the hell, isn't it magic?) Can't figure it out.Since it didn't sense the enemy's construct, it shouldn't be magic.However, this phenomenon can only be produced by some kind of magic.Is it tearing space, or is it something similar to Kamaitachi.Although it was said in class that the spirit of the wind will cause similar effects, there is no vibration caused by mana around. The girl who kept rolling and dodging from invisible mysterious objects finally picked up the dropped sword and quickly retreated to Giselle.I'm afraid she also judged not to rush in.If he rushed over at random, he might be cut into eight pieces by an invisible object—Giselle had a strong premonition of this. "What's wrong? Are you going to surrender?" Hearing the woman's question, Giselle glanced at the girl beside her.The girl's breathing was very flustered, her forehead was covered with sweat, her long black hair was also covered with sweat and blood, and her expression was very tense.It looks aggressive, but it's actually bitter.Perhaps, she was seriously injured—— If this continues, it will be very dangerous. "If you don't surrender, you will be killed." Noticing the woman's gaze, Giselle looked over reflexively. A man covered in blood angrily waved a long sword looking down here. "This brat...!" The man who was knocked down just now seems to have recovered—— Giselle reflexively blocked the opponent's attack with her dagger. The man's roar was intimidating, and Giselle did her best to pull herself together.The opponent turned his body to use the centrifugal force, and used all his strength to perform a one-stroke slash--before that, Giselle kicked the man and finally opened the distance.The weak man also staggered backward. "It's too bad luck...!" Giselle threw the dagger at the man, but missed. At the same time, Giselle took the girl's arm.Dodge it, Giselle thought.At this moment, he felt the touch of the girl's slender arm in his palm.The boy pulled out the dagger from his sword belt again, and threw it at the woman recklessly. Gisele had no idea if it was a hit or not.It didn't matter, after all Giselle couldn't judge at all. Because the moment he drew out his dagger, the surroundings suddenly became dark. Nothing can be seen. It was a blackness deeper than the darkness of night. All light is gone. "Wow!" Then came a surprised voice.It's a woman's voice. "Run away." Giselle immediately grabbed the girl's arm and ran. Can't see anything.However, in order not to be tripped by the fallen men, Giselle had already confirmed a smooth escape route in advance.With the memory just now, he can run with all his strength. The surrounding darkness quickly dissipated, and the moonlight illuminated the field of vision again.Giselle grabbed the girl's arm and ran on the barren roads of the slums.Glancing back, luckily no one seemed to catch up.Just in case, he continued to run, and then rushed into an abandoned house. This is a temporary shed that has almost collapsed, but this ruin does not seem to leak. They lowered their bodies and collected their messy breathing.The boy was already sweating profusely from nervousness. The girl was also panting against the wall of the abandoned house. "Finally, escaped..." The two were huddled under the half-destroyed eaves. In the faint moonlight, the girl asked in pain. "Just...how did you do it?" "Just now?" "That is, magic...? How could it be done in an instant?" The girl's breathing is still a little confused. "No, I'm not good enough to weave magic tricks in that situation." Giselle replied in a low voice, and at the same time poked her head out of the window to spy on the situation outside, and there was silence outside. "It's like a magic trick. I sealed the 'True Darkness' magic in the dagger beforehand." This has become his daily practice. In order to exercise her concentration, Giselle will perform a few magic tricks as soon as she wakes up.With any luck, occasionally one will succeed. One of the creation magic "true darkness", as the name suggests, is to seal the surrounding space into absolute darkness.In this space, all lights are meaningless.Because the magic is to blacken the space itself, and this darkness can affect the spherical range that expands outwards from the starting point.In addition, like light in nature, darkness can be blocked and closed by physical means.If using the magic in a small box, just close the lid to keep the darkness from leaking out— "Generally speaking, magic is based on space, but it is also possible to enchant objects. In fact, the Associate Professor Mosa, who is a specialist in magic, said that if you release it on the blade, you can seal the darkness with the scabbard. Pull out the dagger The darkness will spread out from the scabbard, which will create the illusion of instant magic. Of course, it will be more perfect if you say a few spells casually. I was deceived when I saw it for the first time..." However, such a somewhat complicated explanation would be boring to a girl. The girl didn't respond. "By the way, compared to this, why did you fight those guys, can you tell me..." At this time, her breathing became more chaotic. Giselle drew the other dagger from her sword belt. At this time, the opposite magic of "True Darkness", "Lighting", was activated. In an instant, the light of magic filled the entire room. Giselle saw the girl sitting next to her leaning against the wall with her head drooping feebly. "Well, you, are you okay?" Her expression was very painful, and her eyes were tightly closed.His lips were a little blue, and his blood-stained face could not see any color.There are several sword belts tied inside her coat, and each sword belt is full of throwing knives.Her clothes looked a little like cute academy styles, but she was wearing the equipment of a professional assassin.The shoulders of the clothes were already stained red with blood.Did it get hacked?Examination revealed that the wound was much deeper than expected. "hateful……" Giselle tore the corner of his coat. The reason why he is still wearing this unsuitable college coat now that he has dropped out of school is mainly because he has no money to buy another coat, which is really helpless.Giselle immediately made a tourniquet and wrapped it around the girl's shoulders. However, such emergency measures are far from sufficient.Because the bleeding was worse than expected. Unfortunately, modern theoretical magic cannot heal the flesh of living things.This is the division of occultism, chaos magic—a feat that only miracles and elves can accomplish. Should I go to a doctor, or...if this continues, her life will be in danger. There must be no suitable doctor in the slums, so the last hope is-- "What, what should I do? Rather than returning to the center of the capital, it's better to go back to the academy...?" Because the college occupies a large area, it is also located in the suburbs. It's definitely not close, but it's not far either. Even so, it was a somewhat subtle gamble— Giselle picked up the girl's body and carried it on her shoulders. "Hold on..." Although her consciousness was a little hazy, she hadn't woken up yet. The girl nodded slightly. * Although it was a too cruel gamble, Giselle won the gamble. And it should be considered a big profit. "It's really surprising. I, a junior who left the academy as soon as he dropped out, came back with a girl covered in blood. Rather, I was petrified." The magician girl in a white coat gently covered the sleeping girl on the bed with a blanket. Simultaneously sighed. The magician's name is Gabrielle Haggis.She has long transparent light golden hair and often has a serious expression on her face.Wearing a pair of small glasses that give a hard impression, he is like an intellectual royal secretary.And there's nothing wrong with that first impression.She wears the holy seal of the Holy Cross on her chest, and the style of the white coat is exactly the same as the cassock.People called her "Gabrielle the White Magician".She is an extremely rare magician who serves the gods, listens to the oracle, acts as a priest and causes miracles. "Sorry, honestly, Gabe has been a huge help here..." Giselle breathed a sigh of relief, blushing a little intellectually. "I've said it several times...the only people who are allowed to call me Gabe are friends with whom I identify." was scolded. "No, but, really, if Ga... no, Gabrielle isn't here, I really can't do anything." Originally, belief and magic are at the crossroads of dogs and apes. It is very rare for people who are magicians and also believe in a specific god to come to the academy. After all, they can hear the oracle at the same time-it is very rare for people to cause miracles. She is one of the students under Professor Beverance, also Giselle's senior sister.But Giselle never asked her actual age, probably only two or three years older.Not only does she belong to a different department, but she also often serves in the church, so she has hardly had any communication recently. It is really lucky to find her in the dormitory this time.However, she seems to be well-mannered, but in fact she is often angry, and Gisele is not good at dealing with her.Moreover, she is an excellent student who can't rub the sand in her eyes, and she is far away from herself at the end of the crane in the academy. "Miss Haggis, please use." The owner of this room, Meltina, came with a cup of herbal tea.Gabrielle looked at her sister delicately, and took the teacup with both hands. "Thank you, I'm not polite." "Please sit down and enjoy." "But if I sit down, you won't have enough chairs." "It doesn't matter, just let my brother sit on the ground. He is only worthy of being an decoration in this room. By the way, my brother is working now. Is there a job like a bookstore in the college? I think he can still help you with paper Pressed." "That...forget it, as long as you're happy..." The younger sister, who let herself sit on the floor, is now wearing plain pajamas that are different from the daytime. "I'll get some water, Miss Haggis, please take it easy. Ah, if you're not busy, of course." The younger sister put on a gray coat and walked out of the room with a water bottle. The girl in the assassin costume brought by Giselle is currently lying on her sister's bed.No sign of waking up yet.The boy pulled the remaining chairs to his side and sat down. "Who the hell is she..." Meltina had just wiped off the blood on the girl's face.Her long eyelashes are impressive, and her beauty will make people enchanted if you look closely under the light. However, although the injury has healed, her sleeping face is still very painful. "I'm afraid she is an adventurer from 'Green Sun Pavilion'." Gabrielle said.She glanced at the various equipment that the girl had piled up in the corner of the room. "One of her short swords still bears the coat of arms there." "'Green Sun Pavilion'?" Giselle tilted her head, hearing the name for the first time.No, it feels like someone mentioned— "After all, it's not a well-known adventurer's lair. I have been there several times because of the work of the college and the church. Because it is located in the suburbs, no one knows about it. The jobs I entrust are all gossip that other places refuse to accept." "Business means..." "For example, looking for missing cats, cleaning abandoned houses... Simply put, they are chores that adventurers in other places will not accept, so I just throw them to them." "This...feeling is not so much an adventurer, but a master of everything." Gisele laughed.They are far from their impression of adventurers.他甚至有些怀疑师姐是不是在开玩笑，但是看到一脸严肃的加布丽艾尔，看来这根本不是玩笑。 “是啊，不过，就在不久之前，那里损失了一大半的冒险者，听说是发生了非常惨痛的事件。然后就变得越发萧条了。” 听到这里，吉赛尔看向沉睡的少女。她还是一脸痛苦的表情，也许正在做噩梦吧。 短暂的沉默过后，加布丽艾尔突然开口。 “你能说明一下原因吗？” “原因……”吉赛尔慌忙把视线转向师姐。“那个，其实，只是委托途中不小心卷入了一场纷争，而且这孩子好像受伤了，所以就……” “你刚才已经说过了。” 白魔术师抿了口茶，有些严厉地看着吉赛尔。 “我想问的是退学的事情。我听老师说，是你主动提出的，所以有些在意。” 果然是说这个啊，吉赛尔念叨。 少年犹豫了片刻——妹妹不在真是太好了，他决定老实回答。 “加布丽艾尔也知道的吧，老师的那个研究……” “就是利用拉米亚种进行魔兽的再融合——对吧？” 师姐小声说道，她的脸上已经盖上了理性的面具，但是声音里还混杂着一丝苦涩和厌恶。 盖尔尼卡·毕福隆斯教授——这位魔术师是吉赛尔和加布丽艾尔的导师，负责管理菲·利魔法学院创造魔术专科。据说在神话时代，众神自由操控玛纳塑造这个世界。所有的大气、大地、海洋，甚至生命都是众神创造的。神话时代结束，便是魔术师最为昌盛的古世纪时代，能够无中生有的魔术可以随意创造万物，那是魔术最为发达的巅峰时代。魔兽，这是古世纪时代的魔术师们所创造的合成兽的总称。其中吸血种、水魔种、邪眼种这些物种拥有和人类相近的外貌。没错，古世纪时代的魔术师们将人和野兽组合创造了新的生命。 “魔兽的再融合——也就是把抓来的魔兽直接和其他野兽进行嫁接，模仿魔兽的创造……” 作为研究素材被抓来的就是拉米亚种的年轻少女。 上半身和人类毫无二致，下半身是巨大的蛇形魔兽。古代魔术师创造的她们凭借强韧的生命力存活至今。现代魔术想要创造魔兽是非常困难的，几乎无法完全再现。毕福隆斯教授的研究，准确来说就是将作为素材的拉米亚种少女的下半身切除，与别的野兽进行合成。既然无中生有非常困难，利用既有材料就行了，这便是他的方针。 吉赛尔当时第一次见到了拉米亚种。 他到现在都还记得躺在棺材中的白洁艳丽的裸体。 她的下半身已经消失了。 即便如此，她还活着。 她一息尚存地瞪着吉赛尔。 那是深邃的怨恨，还有深深的悲伤。 还是可以和她沟通的，因为她也能使用人类的语言。 而且她也拥有和普通人相同的思维。 “她最后，怎么样了？” 加布丽艾尔如此问道，因为最近半年，这位白魔术师一直在操劳教会的工作，所以几乎没有参与导师的研究。 “死了。”吉赛尔回答。他无法面对师姐，侧着身子垂下了头。“实验失败了，我最后……只能见死不救。” 自己根本，无法阻止实验—— 因为无可奈何所以就放弃了，自己最终舍弃了这位缔结约定的少女。 “这样啊——所以说，你才没法原谅自己吗？” 吉赛尔想要回应这句询问。 但是却好像窒息一样，少年深深地吸了口气。 即便如此，最后少年也只是发出了满怀苦涩和后悔的叹息。 “那个……”过了片刻，吉赛尔总算回过来神来说道。“为什么，我们仅仅会因为外型不同，就排斥其他种族的人呢。为什么我们会憎恨他们，蔑视他们呢？” 根据圣书的教诲，过去神在创造生命时，为灵魂授予了“恩宠”。相反，违背神的计划出生的生命——也就是妖魔这些让人避讳的种族、抑或是半妖之类的混血种族、还是说人类创造的魔兽都是“堕落”的。这个世界中，异常的“堕落者”的灵魂会产生变质，所以他们都是非常丑陋的。堕落是无法得到救赎的，抹杀他们的话反而是净化世界，甚至是拯救人类。 “这是个悲伤的事实。” 虽然师姐是虔诚的圣十字教信徒，但她也如此低喃。 “我认为，这太不公平了。” “是啊，你说的没错。”她看着装着香草茶的杯子弯下了身子。吉赛尔看着她倒茶的手，她的手指看上去也有些无力。“但是，就算这是让人惋惜的事实，但人们还是把它当成理所当然。毕竟人类会本能地惧怕与自己不同的事物。外型是通往理解最重要的心灵道标。如果没有外型这个道标的话，人类就无法从危险当中逃脱了。如果不对那些露出獠牙的恐怖魔物感到恐惧的话，人类是无法生存的。即便同为人类这种事也是差不多的。” “就算这样……” “没错。”白魔术师点了点头继续说道。“既然你身为魔术师，那就不能被外在迷惑，也决不能看错事物的本质。” “就算是堕落者也是吗？” “从神谕来看，外型只不过是一种标记。我们不能放弃自己的思考，否则我们真的会看错事物的本质的。” 她说完便盯着吉赛尔。 “干、干嘛。” 看到她双眸中迸发的烈火，少年有些胆怯。 “这就是你退学的理由，我没说错吧？” 吉赛尔点了点头，师姐的表情更加严厉了。 “就因为这些理由，所以你才会连魔杖都不要直接逃跑——好像也不是这样吧。” 另外还因为你听到的那些辛辣言辞。 光说不练、万年无杖、无限落榜。吉赛尔·安德布尔库林被冠以的各种蔑称浮现在脑中。 吉赛尔无法得到毕业的证明，而且师姐也一直在担心着无数次“落榜”的自己。 所以说，吉赛尔为了逃避自己的担心，所以才会找一个退学的理由离开学院，师姐怀疑这才是事实。 “你想多了，才不是这样。” 吉赛尔回答。 但是，自己却无法看着师姐热切的眼神回答，这又是为什么呢—— * 不要总是拘泥于外在。要窥其本质。 自己是什么时候听到这句话的呢。只记得渲染那片寂静的是涓涓的小溪和妹妹的歌声。 水面在耀眼阳光的映衬下波光粼粼，这对年幼的吉赛尔而言还太过刺眼。这是流淌在静谧森林中的一条小溪，布尔库林老师正在溪边垂钓。他正坐在一块宛如为他量身打造的石头上，头上戴着魔术师特有的三角帽，帽檐甚至挡住了眼睛。在稍远的地方采花的妹妹嘴里正哼唱着异国的歌谣。 吉赛尔盘腿坐在布尔克林老师的身边，集中精力看着宛如银河的闪耀水面。 但是，却什么都看不到。 吉赛尔还无法看透。 他还无法看透充斥于森罗万象中的元素。 魔术师的修炼正是从识别元素开始的。 “不行，完全看不到。” 已经修炼了好几天了，但是却毫无进展。 话说回来，玛纳到底是什么？明明无法用肉眼识别，那么真的存在于每个角落吗？还是说这种东西只不过是这个乐天的老头信口雌黄的呢？ “喂，真的有吗？你说的那个玛纳？” 听到吉赛尔的抱怨，老人愉快地笑了。 “当然有啊。”布尔库林老师大笑着点了点头。这可是会让身体摇晃的爆笑，但是他的鱼竿却纹丝不动。“吉赛尔，难道你认为世上的万物，只要是你看不见的，你就不认为那是存在的？” “因为看不见啊，怎么可能就存在呢？” “恩，你说的有点道理。”老人捋了捋嘴角的茶色胡须，愉快地露出浅笑。“这种东西可多的是，而且往往这种东西才是最珍贵的。” 吉赛尔·安德布尔库林出生于边境山村。 至少，布尔库林老师是这么告诉他的。 吉赛尔的双亲好像都是冒险者，在他还没懂事的时候他们便撒手人寰了，当时布尔克林老师收养了他。吉赛尔对双亲的记忆非常模糊，所以布尔克林老师对于吉赛尔就是父亲般的存在。 “不要总是拘泥于外在。” 布尔克林老师平静地说道。 “要窥其本质。如果无法看清本质的话，你就无法识别没有形体的事物，甚至会无法适应这个世界。” 年幼的吉赛尔就算听到这样的解释，也完全无法理解。 他要吉赛尔一心不乱地观察水面，但吉赛尔还想抱怨。 “那你就好好思考一下为什么看不见吧。” “这怎么思考啊……” “决不能停止思考。你要抱着看透深渊的决心永远思考下去。无论何时，无论何地，就算失去了意识，人也是能持续思考的。这才是魔术师真正的魔杖。” “真正的魔杖……” “就算筋疲力尽，口吐鲜血，深陷绝望，也决不能停止思考。在思考的尽头一定沉睡着答案。来，思考吧，为什么看不见？” 为什么看不见？ 想破脑袋还是想不明白。刚才的吉赛尔或许会立刻放弃吧，但是布尔库林老师的那段话不可思议地深深地渗透进了吉赛尔的内心。这就是魔术师的本质，魔术师的神髓。 吉赛尔开始思考。 他认真地看着水面不停思考。 就这样，他突然领悟到了答案。 因为他并不知道这种存在。 更确切地说自己是在潜意识地否定、拒绝这种存在。 但是，就算无法视认，也一定是存在的。 这样的话，自己该怎么办呢—— 吉赛尔闭上了眼睛。 最后，终于看见了。 * 一觉醒来，阳光从屋顶的缝隙间刺激着双眼。吉赛尔揉着眼睛爬起身来，结果身体吱吱作响疼痛不已。 这是一个煞风景的房间，和昨天自己告别的时候一样。昨晚送走加布丽艾尔之后，好像因为太过疲劳就直接回到自己房间的床上入睡了。现在可不是睡觉的时候，必须赶紧去找蕾娜莉亚·艾伯特才行—— 走出宿舍，吉赛尔来到井边打水洗脸。 太阳应该才刚刚升起吧，学院内还一片寂静。 “真没想到……竟然会梦见爷爷。” 这位伟大的导师也已经去世了。 三年前，吉赛尔亲眼目睹了那场绝壮的死亡。 那个凄惨的夜景至今历历在目。 “没想到伟大魔术师的孙子竟然是个没有魔杖的落榜生，真是可笑……” 不对，如今自己连落榜生都不是。 如今自己只不过是个放弃成为正魔术师的半吊子而已。 这时吉赛尔想起了师姐的话。 “这就是逃避啊……” 自己总是这样。总是从困难面前逃避—— 吉赛尔为了扫去这片阴霾不停用冷水洗脸，然后回到了房间。 首先就是日常的集中力训练——也就是说将几个魔术封入短刀之类的东西里的训练。“真暗”这个魔术的持续时间，无论再怎么延长，一天就是极限了。而且昨天的乱斗中还失去了一把短刀，就连惯用的短剑也扔掉了。外套也破烂不堪，没想到自己成为冒险者的第一天就入不敷出。毕竟只从米莉亚那里拿了几枚铜币，所以肯定赤字了。真是做了场亏本买卖。 总之，早上还是先去看一下少女的情况吧。吉赛尔前往妹妹的宿舍。虽然是女生宿舍，但并不禁止男生入内。吉赛尔向一早就在宿舍门口扫地的宿管阿姨——都已经三年了吉赛尔却还不知道她的名字——打了招呼，然后前往二楼最深处的房间。 “梅尔蒂娜。” 吉赛尔敲了敲门，等了片刻。 但是妹妹好像没有来应门。 难道还在睡觉吗，感觉屋内没有丝毫气息。 “梅尔蒂娜，我进去了哦。” 吉赛尔推开了房门。 她在不在屋里呢——就在吉赛尔想要确认的时候，他的手臂被抓住了。 下个瞬间，视野反转。吉赛尔还来不及发出悲鸣，就感到自己的身体被压在了墙上。被弯曲到后背的手臂传来了激烈的疼痛。 脖子上也感受到了金属特有的冰冷触感。 感觉还闻到了血腥味。 “不准动。” 耳边听到了尖锐的声音，吉赛尔原本还想抵抗，不过还是放弃了，因为他立刻理解的状况。 "answer my question." 明明是吉赛尔比较重，但对方凭借体术完全固定住了吉赛尔的手腕。而且被按在墙上的身体也动弹不得。虽然左手还是自由的，但就算想把手伸向腰带，恐怕锋利的剑刃也会刺穿自己的脖子吧。 面对这种极其不公的待遇，吉赛尔不禁抱怨起来。 “我可是你的救命恩人，你也太恩将仇报了吧……” "Where is this place?" 对方完全无视了这边的抱怨，拘束着吉赛尔的少女自顾自地开始质问。吉赛尔拼命想要转过头去，但是别说是对方的表情了，连个影子都看不到。 “这里是学院的宿舍，具体来说是我妹妹的房间……不过好像妹妹并不在。” "younger sister?" 少女有些吃惊。 “那个，你先松开好吗。毕竟我救了你，还把你搬过来耶。你肩膀上的伤消失了对吧？这是我找熟人帮你治疗的。当然我也不是要你报恩，但这种状况也太不讲理了吧，竟然还暴力相向……” 吉赛尔还没说完，对方的力道就加重了。吉赛尔还来不及反应就摔在了地上，还发出了没出息的呻吟。好像自己的脚被绊倒的同时整个人就被摔出去了。 因为这祸不单行的悲惨待遇，少年皱着眉仰望着少女。 少女也正俯视着少年。 从窗口洒入的阳光正包裹着她白暂的身体。 只见她单薄的肩膀裸露在外。恐怕她是在察觉到气息的时候才手忙脚乱地将床单缠在身上的吧。这副打扮实在是不靠谱，在阳光的沐浴下非常通透，身体的曲线一览无余。虽然个子矮小，但还是能映衬出女性特有的妖艳以及婀娜妩媚的轮廓。少女的手放在胸口紧紧抓住床单的一角，视线往下看会发现，她腰间的床单就好像半开的窗帘一样。在那之中可以隐约看到那神秘的花园，窗帘下还能看到柔软白净、暴露在外的性感双腿。 少女有一头乌黑的长直发，洁白的肌肤透着一抹淡红。 吉赛尔就这么一直看着少女。 和昨晚一样，不对，应该说比昨晚还要沉醉。 少女有些尴尬地绷着脸。漆黑的双眸释放着锐利的目光，毫不放松地俯视着吉赛尔。这时，她好像才意识到少年的视线。恐怕她现在才注意到自己这身打扮有多不得体吧。她蹩起柳眉，洁白的脸颊微微有些发红。吉赛尔见状慌忙说道。 “不、不对，等一下。别误会，脱光你的衣服只是为了方便治疗，而且衣服上都是血，而且，不是我脱的，是妹妹脱的。” 少女毫不放松地环视屋内。 “那么那个妹妹呢？” “现在好像，不知道去哪里了……” 少女怀疑地瞪了一眼，然后叹了口气。 "yes." “你、你能相信我吗……” “恩，谢谢你。” 道谢的少女的表情还是非常僵硬。或许她原本就是不露声色的性格吧。她一直都是这么僵硬冷淡的表情。不过毕竟是同龄的少女，如果能更害羞一点就好了。因为不好意思继续看着，吉赛尔移开了视线。毕竟这边也早已双脸发热了。 "Feel sorry." 感觉到她靠了过来，吉赛尔不禁瞟了她一眼。感觉她凛然的声音比刚才稍微多了一分温存。 “你说的对，我刚才好像太过分了。我也才刚醒，还有些混乱。希望你能原谅——你怎么了？” “不，那个，该怎么说呢……你不用在意。” 少女弯下身子向吉赛尔伸出了手。 少女压着床单的左手还握着短剑的剑柄。剑刃旁边就是主张着自身存在的白色丘陵，而如今正若隐若现地出现在通透的薄绢之中。再加上垂在眼前的乌黑秀发，进一步加深了艳丽感。裸露的肩膀宛如白雪一般，吉赛尔避开视线抓住了少女的手。 少女的手指非常光滑，也非常冰冷。 根本无法想象这就是昨晚和数名彪形大汉展开激战的少女的手指。 这是非常纤细非常脆弱的手指。 “你发烧了？” “不，你不用在意。” 少女天真地问，吉赛尔慌忙准备站起来。 但不巧的是……就在吉赛尔抓住她的手起身的瞬间，脚底打滑了。结果他的身体不可思议地向后倒去，同时他反射性地抓住了少女的胳膊，结果——视野再次旋转，后脑勺直接砸在了地板上。脸上也是一阵钝痛，身上感到了一种柔软的重量。 “咦咦……” 看来少女也被跟着一起拽倒了。本来护住身子的手正巧打在了吉赛尔的脸上，吉赛尔觉得鼻子非常疼。 “抱、抱歉，我不是故意的……” 吉赛尔呻吟着睁开了眼睛。 只见少女的脸庞就在自己跟前。 少女四肢撑在地上，微微皱着眉头。她披散的黑色长发撩拨着吉赛尔的脸颊。稍稍闻到一些血腥味，但更多的是一股甘甜的芬芳。 "It's okay." 少女如此询问，此刻她身上的白床单摇摇欲坠。 The boy was embarrassed by the soft object that was about to come out in front of his eyes.这个物体随着少女的动作轻微摇摆，少年的视线不禁追随着妩媚摇摆的白色丘陵。 “啊，不，那个……” 她慢慢爬了起来，用手整了整床单，再次将丘陵用薄布遮好。看着眼前的单薄床单——再加上刚才目击的冲击性景象，现在只要看着突起的形状，刚才的景象就会重新浮现在眼前。注意到吉赛尔的视线，少女好像也想起了刚才的一幕，红着脸皱了皱眉头。 “那个，我真的不是故意的……！” 吉赛尔慌忙坐起身来不停后退。 就在他不停辩解的时候，突然发现有东西从鼻子里流了出来。 is blood. 大概是因为刚才被少女的手打到的吧。因为少女的左手也有红色的印子—— “没事，我也不在意——” 就在她叹着气开口的瞬间，她的手燃烧了。 眨眼间就产生了她的左手包裹了火焰的错觉。 "Varied……" 熊熊烈焰缠绕着少女的手。不，并不是缠绕，简直就像是少女的手在喷火一样—— 另外，火焰并不是红色的。 而是深邃的昏暗，那是黑中透紫的昏暗烈焰。 吉赛尔第一次见到这种光景。 （怎么回事……？） 不明觉厉的少年惊愕地瞪大了眼睛。 少女也吃惊地看着自己的左手。 从这熊熊燃烧的漆黑烈焰中能感受到玛纳的狂乱奔流。这是从没见过的现象，难道也是魔术吗？ 但是，吉赛尔完全没看到构筑式。他只能感觉到少女的手中正溢出庞大的玛纳，并且作为昏暗烈焰具现化了。这是浓度高到异常的玛纳。简直就像把周围大气中的所有玛纳聚集浓缩起来一样。 “你对我，做了什么——” 少女的脸上充满了惊愕和动摇。 她用充满敌意的视线瞪着这边。 “不、不是的，我也不知道啊……” “你——你到现在还装傻——” 少女咬紧嘴唇露出坚忍的表情，她将右拳打入火焰之中——也就是左手手掌，好像要塞住缺口一样。 只见她白暂的手腕上浮现出了淡淡的青色文字。看上去和魔术的构筑式类似，不过吉赛尔无法肯定。 接着，这团狂乱的烈焰开始变形，在吉赛尔看来这就像是——