Chapter 44

Why did it come to this?

Following Irene, even Alexia took a combat stance, her hostility laid bare.

"Wait! I don't want to fight you, Alexia!"

"Be silent! Don't even speak! Don't confuse me with your appearance!"

There was no room for negotiation. Why did it come to this!

Perhaps the conversation earlier was the problem. But how should I have answered?

The staff I used during the open beta test, along with all the items, was deleted after the test ended, and I could never get it back. I couldn't explain that to Alexia.

Even the color of my eyes. At first, I didn't understand what Alexia was talking about. But now that she mentioned it, during the open beta test, I was customizing my character's appearance. I thought I had reset everything, but maybe I hadn't changed my eye color back.

I didn't want to deceive Alexia. But by not revealing the truth, I made her suspicious.

"Chain Bind!"

As soon as Alexia cast the spell, I jumped out of the way. The magic chains, losing their target, writhed in the air for a moment before disappearing.

"Wait a moment!"

"No questions! Mana Bolt!"

"Roseline, stay back!"

Even as I told Roseline to stay back, a purple bolt grazed my cheek. I arched my back and barely avoided it. No good, no matter how much I try to stop her, Alexia's anger doesn't seem to subside. Fortunately, she seems to be ignoring Roseline, but I need to calm her down.

"Chain Bind!"

The magic chains couldn't capture Alexia. Unlike me, she didn't panic and jump back but elegantly took a few steps forward to evade.

Alexia, who has been using this spell for a long time, knows the range and timing of its effects. I can use it to some extent by imitating what I've seen, but Alexia, with her extensive practice, is clearly more skilled.

A single spell won't do. This time, I don't have Havoc's support. I need to set up a sequence of multiple spells to deliver a decisive blow on my own.

"You're not the teacher, after all."

Alexia muttered those words.

"What makes you say that?"

"The spells the teacher uses are almost all attack spells. Since there's a limit to the number of spells one can learn, the teacher didn't know status-altering spells like Chain Bind. So, in the party, I would use status-altering spells to immobilize the enemy, and the teacher would defeat them. But you use status-altering spells. The teacher shouldn't be able to use such spells!"

When Alexia and I were in a party, she asked what spells I had learned, and I told her about my skill setup. At that time, I didn't know Chain Bind. I learned it just now to avoid hurting anyone.

Back then, there was no way to reset skills with a paid item. Once a skill was learned, it couldn't be changed. I remember telling her to choose carefully because there was a limit to the number of spells one could learn.

Since my skill setup is different now, most of my attack spells are unavailable due to the allocation of skill points. The only spells I have are those I had to learn to get status-altering spells. Moreover, I don't have any spare Skill Reset Tokens to revert to my previous setup.

Most importantly, I can't use attack spells to hurt her.

"Mana Bolt!"

"Attack spells! So you've shown your true colors!"

I approached Alexia, firing Mana Bolts in rapid succession. It was a contradictory action to use attack spells while saying I didn't want to hurt her.

"What are you aiming for! Can't you even cast a proper spell!?"

But none of those spells were aimed at Alexia. Among my attack spells, this one had the lowest power and the highest rate of fire, making it the only one that fit my plan. I kept firing to limit Alexia's movements as I approached.

"Sleep Cloud!"

I released a white mist between Alexia and me. I didn't expect it to put her to sleep.

In the hazy white mist, my vision was obscured, and I stopped moving. The fog was so thick that I could only see the outline of her figure. This way, she wouldn't be able to see my actions.

"Delay Spell. Sealing Skill"

When the fog clears, she will definitely attack immediately. I started casting Sealing Skill before she could. But it didn't activate.

"Delay Spell." This spell delays the activation of another spell. However, the timing is automatic, not arbitrary. The delay isn't very long, but during the delay, I can cast other spells. It's a useful spell for delaying powerful spells and unleashing them in quick succession.

However, it's a difficult spell to use because the timing is automatic. I didn't use it in the battle with Irene because, with her agility, the timing would have been off.

I delayed the activation of Sealing Skill and approached Alexia, using other spells to keep her at bay. I planned to use Sealing Skill to prevent her from casting spells, then either capture her or take her staff. Without a staff, she shouldn't be able to cast spells. I can't cast spells without a staff, and I've never seen Alexia cast spells without one.

All I had to do was charge at Alexia the moment the Sleep Cloud cleared.

"Wind Wall!"

The fog was blown away by the wind. Alexia couldn't wait for the fog to clear. When did she learn Wind Wall? A spell that forcibly blows away the fog. If she had used it while I was approaching, it would have been dangerous.

I had a bad feeling, but with the time left on the Delay Spell, I approached Alexia, using Mana Bolts to keep her at bay.

I entered the range of Sealing Skill. I had to block her escape route. I fired Mana Bolts around her to ensure Sealing Skill would hit.

The remaining time was 5, 4, 3, 2, 1—. Alexia started casting. But at this distance, even if she attacked, Sealing Skill would hit her.

"Chaos!"

Roseline's scream. I was slammed against the wall. The Sealing Skill, which should have activated when the time ran out, failed to find a target and dissipated. What happened...?

When I realized I was pushed back further than where I was before the battle with Alexia, I understood what had happened.

"Wind Wall...? But how?"

Alexia had just used Wind Wall to clear the fog. Normally, it would be on cooldown and couldn't be used again.

Was it Delay Spell? No, I saw her casting it as she pushed me back. If it was Delay Spell, it should have already been cast.

"Double Spell!"

Double Spell isn't a spell only Wizards can use. Sages can use it too.

So, she must have activated Double Spell during the fog to make me think Wind Wall couldn't be used when the fog cleared.

"Yes, I anticipated that you would use Sealing Skill to seal my magic."

"Huh?"

"You used Chain Bind. Chain Bind is one of the few spells a mage can learn only after learning several other spells. There's a sequence to learning spells. You can't just learn Chain Bind alone. Given that, if you learned Chain Bind, it would be easier to learn Sealing Skill than other attack spells."

The skill tree is structured like a tree. To learn Chain Bind, you must first learn the prerequisite skills.

This limits the spells you can learn. Considering the skill tree, learning Sealing Skill, which branches from the prerequisite skills of Chain Bind, would be easier and more efficient in terms of skill points.

"Considering that you didn't use more useful secondary class spells, you're not a secondary class. And as a mage, if you're approaching, the spells you can use are limited. Given the size of your Mana Bolt, you seem to have high Intelligence, so it would be more advantageous to fight from a distance. Your approach indicates that you're using a spell that requires close proximity. Therefore, I assumed you were aiming for Sealing Skill."

You read all that from just that much action.

"I learned magic from the teacher. I will never forget the teacher's lessons. If you were the teacher, you would have anticipated what I read and acted accordingly."

I thought she was overestimating herself.

Indeed, Alexia and I had discussed various spells. In terms of magical knowledge, the gap between us isn't that large. But the ability to analyze an opponent's actions, predict their skills, and incorporate them into a strategy is unique to Alexia.

Moreover, Wind Wall and Double Spell. When we were in a party, she hadn't learned these spells. I thought this world made it difficult to level up, but she seems to be an exception.

Alexia has become much stronger since then. I can see that it's due to her efforts.

She is well-versed in magic and can predict my actions. Irene, who had a bad matchup, had a weakness because she didn't know the spells. But Alexia has no such weaknesses, making her a tough opponent in a different way.

"Mana Bolt"

This time, Alexia attacked. Her Mana Bolt was slightly less powerful than mine.

"Poison Mist"

Alexia deployed a clearly harmful poison mist in the direction I was trying to avoid. While it wouldn't immediately immobilize me, entering the mist would cause continuous damage from poison.

I quickly decided to take the Mana Bolt. Recovering from poison would require an antidote, and Alexia wouldn't miss the opportunity to attack while I used an item.

Alexia's Mana Bolt, being a Spirit-type spell, was less powerful. Mages and spellcasters have higher magic resistance. Even if I took a hit, the HP loss would be minimal. But it could make me flinch, and repeated hits would create more openings.

Seeing the opportunity, Alexia started casting.

"Flame Jail"

A cage of fire surrounded me. It was a troublesome cage that would burn me if I got too close. My escape routes were being cut off.

Alexia is a Sage, a secondary class, and at a high level, so she knows many more spells than I do. While I have to wait for the cooldowns of my few spells, Alexia can continue the battle using other spells. The difference in our capabilities is inevitable.

"Damn it"

I chose to escape from the cage. Staying inside would be like inviting Alexia to hit me with spells. I rolled out and put some distance between us, but the HP loss made me grit my teeth.

I couldn't afford any more damage, so I took out a potion to recover. I kept my eyes on Alexia, ready for a counterattack. She was in the middle of casting.

I tried to disrupt her casting with Sleep Cloud, but she didn't lose focus. She easily avoided it and cast the spell.

"Slow Move"

Damn, a debuff! The sluggish water from Alexia's staff clung to me. I tried to avoid it, but it was wider than I expected and stuck to me.

Sages can learn support spells that enhance allies and debuff enemies. Slow Move, as the name suggests, slows down the target's movement. The water became heavy like lead, making my movements extremely slow.

Indeed, I could barely run at a walking pace. The duration of this debuff is relatively long.

This leaves me vulnerable. I continued to attack with spells to prevent Alexia from casting, but she focused on dodging, and my spells never hit.

Then—my spells stopped working.

"MP is insufficient. Skills cannot be used."

A message appeared as I tried to cast a spell. My MP was depleted. I frantically took out a mana potion to recover.

"I won't let you!"

Alexia quickly targeted the mana potion with Mana Bolt. The purple bolt shattered the bottle.

I thought she wouldn't expect me to take out another one, but this time, magic chains appeared. With Slow Move, I couldn't even jump back. I was quickly captured.

"It seems this is the end."

Thinking I couldn't resist anymore, Alexia approached me. Paralyzed, I couldn't counterattack. Her skill level was high, and the chains bound me tightly, with the effects of Chain Bind lasting longer.

My MP was depleted, and the natural regeneration rate wasn't enough. Even if I recovered from paralysis, there would be no way to turn the tide.

Confident that I had no options left, Alexia approached me. It was truly the end.

"Chaos—!"

Roseline charged between us, sword in hand, and confronted Alexia.

"Stop, Roseline! You're no match for her!"

Roseline couldn't possibly defeat Alexia. She must have seen the entire battle. Yet, she faced Alexia without fear.

Paralyzed, I could only watch as she charged forward.

Alexia, looking slightly annoyed, instantly cast Mental Shield to block the sword's momentum. Then she used her staff to knock the sword away.

"Roseline, I'm sorry, but please don't interfere."

Alexia put Roseline to sleep with Sleep Cloud. Roseline, her consciousness fading, collapsed on the spot.

I bit my lower lip, lamenting my inability to do anything.

"There you are."

The effects of Chain Bind hadn't worn off. I tried to resist, knowing it was futile, but it didn't budge.

"Resistance is futile. You know the effects of that spell, right? A paralyzed body can't move. There's still time before the spell wears off. I'll defeat you in the meantime."

Alexia turned to me, staff at the ready. Given our close distance, she would likely use Mental Burst.

A Spirit-type Mental Burst from Alexia would drain all my HP. That would be the end.

Alexia started casting.

I couldn't match her level or magical knowledge.

I couldn't use magic.

Worse, I couldn't move.

Is there nothing left for me?

The way to break Chain Bind and defend against Alexia's Mental Burst.

The advantage I had over Alexia, who couldn't move as a player, was being a player.

...A player?

—There was one thing.

Time was running out. I had to act immediately.

Instantly, the restraints that bound me were released. The magic chains disappeared, and I quickly moved.

"What!?"

Even Alexia, who is usually composed, was surprised that Chain Bind was forcibly released.

I couldn't use magic, but I was close to Alexia. Despite the slowdown from Slow Move, my speed was faster than her, who was caught off guard. So, I charged at Alexia.

"Get off me!"

She interrupted her casting and resisted. We both grabbed her staff, and we tumbled to the ground.

One staff rolled away from the two of us. We separated, and the winner was decided.

I pointed the staff at Alexia. The one that rolled away was hers.

"How... How did Chain Bind...?"

Alexia asked, dazed.

The reason Chain Bind was forcibly released was that I used a paralysis recovery potion I bought with the potions in Clermont to recover from paralysis.

Chain Bind appears to bind the body physically, but in terms of status, it's a paralysis effect. So, recovering from paralysis naturally nullified the spell's effect.

How did I use an item when I couldn't move? It was through the emergency use function from the inventory. Emergency use isn't restricted by paralysis. If I had used it before, the cooldown would have prevented me from using it now, but fortunately, I hadn't used it in this battle.

Alexia isn't a player.

No matter how strong or knowledgeable in magic, she can't use the game system like a player. She couldn't check the map to find Roseline, and she didn't know about the inventory or emergency use. That's why I thought I could catch her off guard.

To be honest, it was luck. If Alexia hadn't approached, if she hadn't dropped her staff, if several factors hadn't aligned, I would have lost.

"Kill me."

Alexia said those words with a hint of resignation. Her words made me angry.

But seeing her, the anger quickly faded.

She was small and delicate. I remembered protecting her in the cave and when she nearly died from Rhinos. She was a girl who should have been protected.

Why did it come to this? We didn't need to fight to the death.

—Are you human?

Whether I was human. I wanted to ask that too. A character that doesn't feel pain or fatigue is far from human.

But her words meant something else.

Not human... She saw me as a monster? Ah, right, she thought I was a vampire!

I remembered the story of the vampire king. The king was given the life of a vampire by someone. That means he was turned from a human into a vampire.

Vampires drink the blood of humans and turn their victims into vampires. This fits the general characteristics of vampires known outside the game. However, in "Another World," vampires can't turn players into vampires, and they aren't weak to sunlight.

In any case, Alexia thought I was a vampire.

So, she fought desperately because she thought I was a monster.

If that's the case, there's no need to fight anymore.

I threw away the staff. I didn't need it anymore.

Alexia looked at me in confusion.

I bent down to meet her gaze. She looked slightly frightened. She was just putting on a brave face.

Then, I slowly hugged Alexia.

"What are you doing! Stop it! I don't want to be touched by anyone but him! I'd rather die than be humiliated and live!"

I just apologized as Alexia, half-mad, struggled in my arms.

"The color of my eyes changed, and I lost my staff. But I'm still me. I'm not a vampire or a monster. I'm the same person who was in the party with you."

"Lies!"

"It's not a lie. I'm sorry I couldn't explain. But I don't want to fight you anymore, Alexia."

I don't want to fight anymore. I didn't want to point my staff at my friends. Throwing away the staff was a sign of that.

But if I just threw it away, Alexia might resist again. If that happened, we couldn't talk. So, I held her tightly to prevent her from resisting.

"I remember everything, the days we spent together."

I never forgot, from the moment we met.

"I joined your party for the first time when Irene was looking for companions at the Adventurer