Chapter 24: Something Ten, Or At Least Nine, Parts Wrong

The intervention of a legendary-rank nine-circle mage effectively signaled the peaceful resolution of the incident in Riscane.

Flam, the venerable sorceress, simply ascended into the sky and released an eighth-circle wind spell, sweeping the entire city’s rats and the cultists alike into the air. That fierce gale acted like a washing machine, churning the rodents and fanatics within its vortex. Once she confirmed there were no further obvious threats, a mere thought from Flam instantly transformed the hurricane into a fire tornado, reducing everything within it to ash. The trump card Mr. Parker believed could turn the tables was, in the eyes of a true powerhouse, nothing more than a minor irritation.

Including the time spent conversing with Aldmeyer, the legendary mage had resolved the entire crisis in no more than three minutes. Having finished, Flam descended from the sky and walked up to Kalia. "I am going to the City Guard headquarters with this Colonel to explain the situation in Riscane to the capital and the military authorities."

"I will come looking for you later. Before I do, don't even think about running away; stay put in Riscane."

With that, Flam departed with Aldmeyer, leaving only the remaining City Guard members to clean up the scene. Only then did Roland finally let out a sigh of relief. Although he didn’t know why Flam had arrived so quickly—having been told it would take five hours, yet she had traveled from the capital in barely one—the outcome was, at least, a good one. If she hadn’t arrived in time, he, Aldmeyer, and Kalia would likely have had to deal with the rat infestation themselves. And they certainly wouldn't have handled it as effortlessly as Flam.

"It's finally over..."

Although only two days—or perhaps even just one—had passed, Roland’s nerves had been stretched to their breaking point. Even his rest last night had been poor, plagued by Kalia’s loss of control over her abilities. Today’s experiences had certainly been eventful. As the weight lifted from his chest, the exhaustion he had been forcibly suppressing began to surge forward. Though his mana had largely recovered and his physical strength was sufficient, the fatigue was mental and psychological.

"Yaaawn..."

Roland opened his mouth wide in a yawn and stretched his limbs. Picking up his invisibility cloak, now stained with the blood of Parker, he couldn't help but click his tongue. "Tsk, have to wash this again. I hope I still have that specialized cleaning agent at home, otherwise I’ll have to buy the materials and make some."

Muttering a quiet complaint, Roland massaged his sore shoulders and neck, turning toward his lodgings. He was sleepy now. He had no desire to study the nuances of his newly mastered "Flash" spell, nor did he care to investigate the purpose of that primal rune stone. He just wanted to get a good night's sleep, in his own bed...

But he hadn't walked more than a few steps when someone behind him yanked him, causing him to stumble. "Hey! You're just going to leave like that?!"

Roland steadied himself and turned back to see Kalia’s expression of disbelief.

"The matter is settled, your life is safe, the problem in Riscane is solved, and those lunatics from the Brotherhood of Chaos have all been dealt with by your teacher," Roland said. "It’s a perfect ending. Now it’s time to rest; it’s getting late, and it’s time for bed."

Twilight had long since faded, replaced by the thickening night. Moonlight caught on the fair hand Kalia used to grab him, falling across Roland’s face as well.

"You, you jerk!" Kalia, at a loss for words, could only sputter. "You can't leave!"

Roland let out a long sigh and stood still. "Alright, alright. What else is there?"

"Asking for mercy on your behalf in front of Ms. Flam is out of the question. I’d like to live a few more years and one day enjoy a life of luxury."

Upon hearing this, Kalia immediately retorted, "The old lady’s business is irrelevant now! Since she didn't finish me off on the spot, it just means that as long as I butter her up and endure a lecture, it’ll be fine!"

Roland was speechless. "You really are experienced at this, aren't you? Just how many times have you made Ms. Flam angry?"

Kalia began counting on her fingers, then, seemingly deciding that a few of those instances weren't serious enough, retracted some. "It’s not that bad, seven or eight times?"

"...And were they all as serious as this?"

"Of course not!" Kalia puffed out her cheeks. "I’m not that unreliable!"

Roland listened to her account and offered a quiet prompt, "Then why are you so sure this disaster will be easily swept under the rug?"

Kalia went silent. She hadn't considered that.

"Anything else? If not, please let this witch allow me to go back to sleep. I’m really at my limit." Roland yawned again. He was truly exhausted and hoped the beautiful, gentle young witch would let him go.

"Of course there is!"

His hopes were dashed. Roland took a deep breath, regretting that he hadn't just run away immediately that day, instead choosing, based on his upbringing, to feed a witch who was nearly starving to death.

"Then please, make it quick." Roland found a piece of rubble and sat down; after such a battle, there was no shortage of ruins. Kalia’s mood began to dampen, and Roland could see she lacked the confidence she’d had when she first grabbed him.

"What’s wrong? Still afraid of how Ms. Flam will treat you? Don't worry, at worst it’s just a good beating; you won't die."

"...That’s not very comforting. And that’s not what I wanted to say." Kalia pursed her lips and sat down beside him.

"This is very dirty, you know. Your dress isn’t as easy to clean as my cloak."

"It’s fine... you talk too much!" Kalia glared at him before speaking carefully. "Sorry... if I hadn't acted to save those City Guards and had left sooner, we wouldn't have been discovered. You wouldn't have had to overdraw your mana to help me evade the attacks..."

Roland smiled helplessly and shook his head. "Forget it. It was my miscalculation. If I had known that the interference device also had the effect of suspending spells, I wouldn't have let you act."

"Besides, a heart that wants to save others is not wrong. Don't blame yourself." Roland stood up, leaning on his knees, and patted Kalia’s shoulder. "Let this be a lesson for you—a lesson called 'doing what is within your power.'"

"I was willing to risk my life to save people because my 'Flash' spell wasn't affected. I had a backup plan to dodge or run away if things went wrong. If my spells had been compromised like yours, I would never have chosen to save anyone."

"Other people's lives are precious, but one's own survival is more important. Save them if you can; if you can't, look after yourself. It sounds selfish, but as I said, I’m not a 'good person' in the traditional sense."

"Self-sacrifice is a privilege for heroes, not for ordinary people like me. After this, you and I shouldn't have much to do with each other, so remember this lesson well. You’ll have plenty of chances to use it in the future."

"Goodnight, Miss Kalia. May we meet again by chance."

Roland walked away. A minute later, Kalia, finally catching on, suddenly looked up: "Wait! You jerk, are you trying to dump me?!"