Chapter 42 The Memories of the Great Magician and the Brave

Magician and the Brave

"...Ugh." I let out a short groan and slowly opened my eyes. Darkness, devoid of even a glimmer of light, filled the surroundings.

"W, what's going on?" I panicked and tried to release starlight magic in all directions, but for some reason, my magic power wouldn't function.

'...Damn it, I hate the dark the most.' I actually have a considerable aversion to the dark. To be precise, I utterly loathe being in a pitch - black space with no light at all. Of course, even though the space I'm in now seems vast, not being able to see the end still makes me uncomfortable.

"Ugh..." Thanks to this, as I was struggling miserably, I suddenly felt something by my foot.

"Meow."

"...Little Meow?" A black cat... no, a cat doll was gently biting my foot.

"...I'm glad you're here." I felt a bit more at ease and picked it up. Unexpectedly, this cat doll shed tears and started licking my face frantically.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

"Meow... Meow..." I tried to pull this cat doll away, but it suddenly pounced on me, knocked me to the ground, and continued licking my face.

"...What's going on?" I was actually defeated by a small cat doll. In the end, I could only helplessly scratch my head and let it lick me for a long time.

"Meow..." Just as my face turned bright red, that cat doll curled up into a ball on my chest and started rubbing against my face.

'...Am I being haunted by a nightmare?' But it was too cute and pleasant to be a nightmare. So, I simply continued lying down. Suddenly, the darkness around me began to thin out.

- Whoosh... Gradually, a lush field and trees started to appear around me, and then I realized what was going on.

'...It's the exact same dream as that time.' Probably, this situation is somewhat similar to when I saw Pelosh's past.

"...Mom?" As expected, a young version of myself began to appear in my field of vision.

"...Yeah, at that time, we were playing hide - and - seek in the forest and got lost, right?" At that time, my mother and I got lost while playing hide - and - seek in the forest. That's what it should be. It was supposed to be like that...

「...Something seems strange?」Now that I think about it, it really is a bit off. Why did we get lost while playing hide - and - seek? My mother, who was an outstanding star - magician better than anyone else, how could she forget about her young child?

「Mom... Where have you gone...?」The words that came out of my mouth afterward were indeed quite different from my memory.

「Mom... How long are you going to hide...? Mom...」The young me, with an uneasy expression, started calling out to my mother continuously, but my mother's figure never appeared. Just like that, the night in the forest gradually deepened.

"Sc, so scary... Waaah..." At that time, I trembled in fear, waited for my mother for a long time, cried loudly leaning against a tree, and finally fell asleep from exhaustion.

"Growl..." Soon after, a wolf discovered me sleeping soundly and began to approach quietly.

'...There was such a thing?' Since the memory emerging in my mind was completely different from what I was thinking about, I tilted my head in confusion. At this moment, a fireball flew over from somewhere.

- Boom!!

"The wolf, whose tail was hit by the fireball, had its tail - tip ablaze. It fled in panic with its tail between its legs.

"W, what's going on?" Awakened by this commotion, I looked around and found a red - haired girl standing in front of me. She was little Irina, who, at that time point in a dream a few months ago, had sneaked out of her home to play in the alley. Because I had been talking to her unilaterally, we eventually formed a bit of a friendship.

"You, you are..."

"Frey, why on earth are you here?"

"That..." Little Irina, with one hand ablaze and the other looking at a rough piece of paper, immediately crumpled the paper into a ball, stuffed it into her pocket, and started muttering.

"Great, I found the missing eldest son of the duke's family... If I get the amount written here, I won't have to worry about food and clothing for a year."

"...W, what do you mean?" I asked her a bit fearfully. Little Irina immediately frowned and replied.

"You, a noble young master, don't need to know."

"B, but..."

"Enough. Although I often say this... I really hate dealing with nobles. After all, I'm only doing this for the money this time."

"...Huh?"

"Get up quickly. Don't you want to go home?" Facing my incessant complaints, young Irina seemed a bit annoyed, while I hurriedly got up and shouted loudly.

"I want to go home! I want to see Mom!"

"Then shut up and follow me."

"Got it..." Just like that, the young me and Irina hacked through the darkness and started walking down the mountain.

"...By the way, what was that piece of paper just now?"

"..."

"And how did you find this place? Hmm?"

"...Ugh." Irina, who was silently going down the mountain, was knitted her brows tightly by my continuous questions and finally lost her temper.

"Be quiet!! You're disturbing me from finding the way!!"

"...I also know the way, you know?"

"What?" But when I answered naively, little Irina, who had seemed a bit flustered, immediately frowned and asked.

"Then why were you missing before?"

"Missing? Me?"

"Yeah, according to this paper..." As she spoke, she looked carefully at the paper, suddenly froze for a moment, then coughed dryly and changed the topic.

"Ahem... Anyway, let's go down the mountain."

"Will I see Mom when we go down the mountain?"

"..."

"But didn't Mom say she would keep hiding and not show up?"

"...Let's go." Just like that, the two of them had a conversation that I couldn't remember at all, and then they slowly started going down the mountain.

"growl...!"

"...Huh?" However, the howls of wolves came from the distance.

"Growl..." Soon, a large group of wolves appeared and began to surround Irina. Irina looked at these wolves with a disdainful look, sneered, and flames ignited in both her hands. Seeing this, the wolves lowered their bodies and assumed an attacking stance. The young me, scared to death, pressed tightly against Irina's back and only dared to stick my head out to observe the situation.

"...Come at me together, scumbags." After saying this, Irina aimed the flames at the wolves, but...

- Boom!! Suddenly, the ground around them began to shake, and something on two legs was walking towards them in the distance. A look of shock appeared on Irina's face.

"Wolves... Werewolves...? Why are high - level monsters appearing in this unremarkable forest...?" A high - level monster that is said to be difficult for even ordinary knights and magicians to deal with - the 'werewolf' - started to target the young me and her.

"...Ugh." The young me started hiccupping from fear, while Irina, who was quietly backing away, whispered to me.

"Hey."

"Hmm..."

"Run." Immediately after, Irina launched a fireball at the wolves behind them, sending them flying, then grabbed my arm and started running wildly.

"Roar - ahhh!!" The werewolf and the wolves immediately started chasing the young me and Irina.

"Damn it, in this case... even if the reward will be a bit less, I have to call for backup." Irina, who was holding my arm and running desperately, frowned, began to gather flames in her hand, and then launched a beam of fire towards the sky.

- Bang!! Boom!! Immediately, the soaring flames burst suddenly and began to bloom brilliant sparks in the sky. Just as I was watching this scene with great interest... suddenly, everything stopped.

"...What's going on?" I was a bit flustered in the face of this sudden situation. The scene in front of me gradually disappeared, and then a new picture unfolded slowly like a scroll.

"Growl..."

"Huff... Huff..." The newly emerged scene was filled with despair. Because the wolves and the werewolf were eyeing the young me and Irina menacingly, and the fire barrier created by Irina was blocking between them.

"N, now what should we do?"

"...Damn it, this is really bad luck." What's more, behind the young me and Irina, there was a cliff towering impressively.

"...If this continues, we won't hold out for long."

"Th, then what should we do...?"

"So listen up." Young Irina frowned and whispered to the extremely frightened me.

"When I count to three, you run to the side. I'll give the werewolf in front a blow and then catch up with you."

"B, but..."

"Those wolves are not a problem. As long as we can wound the werewolf, we can easily shake them off." After saying that, Irina pushed me to the side and started counting.

"One... Two... Three!!" In that instant, young Irina ignited flames in her hands and rushed forward, while the young me started running towards the empty space on the side.

"Yaaah!!"

"Growl..." Irina nimbly passed through the fire barrier, punched the werewolf in the abdomen, then turned around to run, but...

"Roar -!!"

"Damn it!!" Her cloak was grabbed by the werewolf, and she was ultimately left hanging in mid - air helplessly.

"...Le, let me go!" The werewolf lifted the struggling little Irina high up, motioned for the surrounding wolves to back off, then bared its fangs and stared at her. Irina closed her eyes tightly in fear...

"Le, let her go!!" I, who had picked up a branch from somewhere, slammed it hard on the werewolf's leg and let out a scream.

"St, stupid..."

"Growl?" The young Irina showed a dazed expression, while the werewolf tilted its head and thought for a moment, then suddenly kicked me hard.

"Cough - ha!!" At that time, I was pounding on the werewolf's leg desperately and had no time to react. I was hit squarely in the body by this kick. As a result, I rolled on the ground several times and finally hung on the edge of the cliff, limp and powerless.

"Waaah!!" Little Irina, who was looking at me blankly, immediately ignited flames in both hands and waved them frantically at the werewolf...

"Le, let go! Let go quickly..."

"Growl!!"

"Ugh!!" The werewolf, which had grabbed her arms, seemed to want to take revenge for being punched in the abdomen just now. It hit her abdomen hard, and she went limp like the young me.

"Growl..." The werewolf stared at the limp her for a while, then looked at me in the distance and started licking its lips.

"...It's a female werewolf."

"...Meow." As I and Irina were in crisis, I, who was watching with the black cat, noticed the gender of the werewolf and couldn't help but sigh.

"Cat, I remember... I got lost while playing hide - and - seek during the day, almost got attacked by a wolf, and then Irina saved me and got injured on her face, right?"

"Meow...?"

"But why in this dream, the female werewolf is always drooling over me? It feels similar to last time. It doesn't seem to be just a simple dream."

"Meow..."

"And why do you always show up every time I have this kind of dream..."

"Ah!!" Just as I was pouring out all the questions that came to my mind to the evasive cat doll, a scream suddenly came from the distance.

"Fr, Frey..."

"Ho, hold my hand tightly! Irina!" Irina was thrown out by the werewolf and almost fell off the cliff. Now she was hanging precariously on my hand.

"Growl!!" The werewolf, a bit flustered by this sudden situation, rushed towards us quickly...

"W, waaah!!" The wind howled, the earth shook violently, and the young me, holding on tightly to the tottering Irina, lost my balance and fell forward.

"Ahhhhhhh!!"

"No!!" Just like that, the young Irina and I fell helplessly off the cliff.

"...It must be a dream, right? If that was real, how could Irina and I still be alive?"

"Meow." I stared blankly at that scene and began to doubt whether this was just a dream of mine rather than something that really happened...

- Huff... But as the scene gradually changed, I changed my mind.

"Hey... Wake up...!"

"Ugh... Ugh..." Little Irina, soaking wet, was shaking me, who was also wet and unconscious.

- Drip... Drip... On our right, the cold river water flowed gurglingly, and on our left, the bonfire lit by Irina's magic was burning brightly.

- Plop! Plop - plop!!

"...Damn it, when will they come?" Irina stopped shaking me for a while, gathered flames in her left hand, and fired randomly into the sky. Looking at me, who was lying limp on the ground, she complained impatiently.

"Idiot... You could have just run away... Why did you come back?" As she spoke, she used the flames in her right hand to thaw my frozen body, then showed a puzzled expression and muttered to herself.

"You're a high - flying noble young master... Just out for fun, making friends with commoners as a pastime... Just that kind of annoying noble..."

"Ugh..."

"But... Why did you come back again..." Watching me groan and struggle painfully for a while, young Irina murmured in a low voice. When she sensed the movement in the distance, her expression froze instantly, and then she stood up quietly.

"Growl..." Before I knew it, the werewolf had chased to the bottom of the cliff and was slowly approaching us.

"Ahhhh!!" Irina stared intently at that werewolf and tried her best to release flames, but...

"Damn it, just using a detection magic, and my magic power is..." The magic power in her body was almost exhausted, and soon she staggered and fell down.

"...A detection magic, isn't that a large - scale magic that requires five mages from the Magic Tower to cast?"

"Growl." Just as I was shocked by the 'tracking' magic Irina had cast, before I knew it, a werewolf had approached the young me. It stared at me and started licking its lips.

- Plop!!

"Roar!!!" But Irina, who had fallen to the ground, used all her strength to smash a fireball precisely into the werewolf's face. The werewolf immediately covered its face and rolled on the ground.

"Qu, quick... We have to get out of here..." Taking this opportunity, Irina stood up tremblingly and tried to take a step...

"...Ugh!" She suddenly stopped, glanced at me, who was lying limp on the ground, then grabbed me and started dragging me.

"Over there, as long as we get into that grass... we can hide..."

"Growl!!"

"Ah -!!" But her clothes were already soaked and extremely heavy. Dragging me was the limit, and finally, she was caught by the werewolf.

"Roar -!!"

"Ahhhh -!!" The extremely angry werewolf started punching her hard. Its sharp wolf claws tore her clothes, and a deep cross - shaped scar was left on her cheek.

- Bang! Smack!

"W, wu..." The werewolf, to make her suffer the most, deliberately controlled its strength and hit the young Irina again and again. When she was on the verge of losing consciousness, the werewolf grinned and aimed its sharp claws at her throat.

"Growl..."

"This... Damn life..." Seeing this scene, Irina shed tears from her eyes and cursed in a miserable voice. The next second, the sharp claws seemed about to pierce her throat, but...

- Crack!!

"Growl!!" Suddenly, a dull sound came, and the werewolf foamed at the mouth and fell in front of her.

"Why... Did you come back again..." The young Irina stared blankly at this scene. Then, behind the fallen werewolf, she found a boy——me, with my head down and a thick wooden stick in my hand.

"The Starlight Duke Family..."

"Fr, Frey..."

"...A brave family that protects both the weak and the strong." After saying this, the young me added briefly, then lost consciousness and fell into Irina's arms.

"...This is what Mom always said." Then, a short silence flowed by.

"Over here!! The signal came from here!!"

"Master!! Are you okay?"

"Son!!" Soon, the servants of the Starlight family and my father rushed hurriedly towards the place where we were. And at that very moment, my eyes were once again engulfed by darkness.

"...Huff." Just like that, I had probably seen all the memories that were speculated to be from my past. I sighed and muttered in a low voice.

"I... I clearly awakened my starlight magic after reading the prophecy book... That's what the setting says..."

"Meow..."

"Now... I don't know anymore." After saying these words, I picked up the cat doll that was looking at me with pity and lay down in the dark space.

.....

"Master... Please get up now..." At the same time, in Frey's dormitory.

"...Didn't you promise to go out with me?" Kania, who had just emerged from Frey's unconsciousness, looked at him haggardly and muttered.

"You postponed the promise for three months. What on earth do you want..." Before I knew it, the first semester of the Solare Academy was about to end.