Memoirs of a Wicked Magician - Chapter 83

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 83
“That’s right, I’m so glad you’re here with us!”
The other children beside her suddenly began to chime in with words of agreement directed at Liriope.
“To be honest, at first I thought you were kind of scary, but spending time with you today, you’re much kinder than I expected, and your Magic is really strong too……”
“And even after we got here, you’ve been guiding us so calmly and rationally without any panic the whole time, so it really feels like we’ll be able to escape from here safely without any problems. Your way of doing things kind of reminds me a bit of our captain, hehe.”
The human heart is indeed fickle—Caliona’s sharp demeanor, which had seemed distant just moments before, now appeared reassuringly reliable in the face of this unexpected threat.
Her remarks from a while back, which seemed to cover for a newcomer’s mistake, surely played a part in that.
What’s more, noticing that some of the children had been stealing glances between Liriope and Caliona, there seemed to be something afoot.
It was the kind of feeling that suggested some people had caught on to and suspected who the older sister Liriope had been missing since the Outer Estate was.
Of course, to those who knew that Liriope had a sister, their resemblance would be unmistakable.
Yet since Liriope hadn’t called Caliona “sister” outright, they remained uncertain and were staying quiet for now.
Still, just to be safe, they were making a point of showing a favorable attitude toward Caliona and trying to make a good impression.
“By the way, you know? There are several large windows around, so couldn’t we just escape through one of those?”
“The Ruins of Calamity suffers from severe Space Distortion. So unlike what our eyes show us, most places connect to somewhere completely different. If you get lost in a place like that, it becomes more dangerous, so even if you spot what looks like an exit, don’t move carelessly—finding the Core of the Relic takes priority first.”
“Ah, I see! Thank you so much for explaining it so clearly!”
In any case, for this reason, the atmosphere of the group had become quite warm and friendly at some point.
‘What’s this? Why are they all giggling and laughing among themselves without me? How annoying.’
Everyone except one person, that is.
Stella had begun to feel a strange sense of alienation and displeasure.
For someone who had always easily created followers and drawn attention, this sense of disconnect was deeply unfamiliar.
Stella pondered who had first muddied the waters, arriving at the conclusion that Liriope had deliberately lifted up Caliona to provoke her.
After all, unless Liriope was a fool, she would have known that Stella had deliberately tried to put her in a difficult position, so this petty attitude wasn’t strange.
Still, finding it somewhat irritating, Stella decided to quickly finish today’s objective.
“Wait? I think I hear a bell ringing from that direction!”
Just then, the bell sound that had been echoing faintly within the milky-white space suddenly became noticeably clearer.
They cautiously approached their surroundings and entered the left corridor where the sound was growing louder.
After moving further, they came upon a spacious hall that opened up on all sides.
“The sound echoes strangely so it’s hard to tell, but it does seem to be coming from above……. Could it be the ceiling?”
“Should we climb up and check directly? Is there a staircase or ladder somewhere?”
The children chattered incessantly, craning their necks to look up at the ceiling where the bell sound seemed to originate.
Theoretically, the method of escaping from the Ruins of Calamity was quite simple.
They had to find the Core of the Relic, which looked identical to the Magic Artifact that had drawn them here, and dispel the Magic sealed upon it.
If they destroyed or damaged the Core without dispelling its Magic, there was a risk that the space would warp.
In severe cases, the passages could be blocked off entirely, so special care was needed when handling the Core.
“The vines are in the way, so it’s hard to see clearly. Caliona, would you mind going up directly to check it out?”
For this reason, completely severing or burning away the vines that now densely covered the ceiling was a dangerous choice.
If the Core of the Relic were hidden among them, it could lead to the worst outcome.
Of course, for High-Rank Mages this would be nothing difficult, but the children here, no matter how talented, still belonged to the Novice Rank and lacked the fine control necessary for such precision.
“Me?”
“Yes. You use Levitation Magic more stably than I do anyway, don’t you? I’m embarrassed to admit, but heights scare me a bit.”
So Stella’s suggestion was certainly reasonable, but……
Caliona looked down at Stella with narrowed eyes and a faint smile, regarding her with suspicion.
“I’ll check quickly and come right back, so don’t do anything foolish.”
“Of course. I’ll stay here and keep watch over you with everyone else.”
Caliona kicked off the ground and soared into the air.
Amid the children’s gasps of admiration, Liriope also gazed up at her sister with tender eyes.
‘Though… shouldn’t Ode have said something by now?’
At that moment, Liriope suddenly became aware that her mind had been far too quiet for quite some time.
‘Ode?’
Feeling the strangeness, she tried to reach out, but no answer came back.
She called his name several more times, but it was the same.
‘What’s this? Suddenly no response.’
Retracing her memory to find when this began, she concluded it had been like this since they entered the Ruins of Calamity.
Liriope’s face stiffened slightly.
‘Ode, you’re still there, aren’t you?’
Since Ode had no visible form, she could only sense his existence through his voice, and in this situation, there was no way to confirm his safety.
Whether they were simply having temporary difficulty communicating, or if he had actually disappeared entirely……
Yet the mere thought of such a possibility made her heart clench.
Somewhere along the way, Ode had ceased to be merely someone she shared mutual interests with.
“The sound comes from higher up. We’ll need to find the path that leads to the Bell Tower.”
“Good work. Let’s look around quickly then.”
While Liriope was drowning in a sense of suffocating frustration, Caliona returned.
During that time, Stella had done nothing suspicious at all and had waited for her obediently.
Yet the suspicion still hadn’t lifted, so Caliona gazed at the smiling Stella with lingering doubt.
And so they left the hall again to search for the passage leading to the Bell Tower.
The Ruins of Calamity’s Space Distortion made the flow of Mana chaotic, making it difficult to pinpoint the exact location of the Core.
Meanwhile, because of Ode’s silence, Liriope’s words had grown sparse.
Yet as her expression darkened, a soft voice from Caliona reached her ears shortly after.
“Getting caught up in something like this on your first day in the Contaminated Sacred Ground must be surprising and frightening, but don’t worry too much. I promise I’ll get everyone out of here safely without a scratch.”
Lifting her head, Liriope saw Caliona’s cold profile still fixed ahead.
Her words seemed like typical reassurance meant to comfort all the children gathered here.
But Liriope could tell that Caliona had been speaking to her alone.
At that, her chest grew warm and vitality seemed to return to her weary body.
“So for now……”
Whoosh!
“Everyone, keep your eyes forward and run!”
“…!”
But in the very next instant, Caliona suddenly pushed Liriope forward and shouted loudly, releasing Magic toward the rear.
“Aaaah!”
“W-what’s happening all of a sudden?”
The vines that had been silently trailing them from somewhere began to assault them as if they’d been waiting for this very moment.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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