Almark – Northern Sword, Southern Wand

An irregular mass envelops Almark's body.

Shit, I can't move.

Almark remained on the floor, moving his neck and watching Reido.

Reido, are you okay?

"I'm fine."

Reido answers in such a hurry as to rush to Almark.

I'm here to help.

You can't come over here.

Almark stopped with a sharp voice.

"If he catches you, it's over."

The words stopped Raidow.

"It's okay, don't worry. This is not a monster. It's one of the trials of this cave."

Almark inspired his voice.

"The evidence doesn't cover my face. If it were a real monster, it would have tried to block my face and kill me."

Raidow nodded confused at Almark's words.

This lump certainly wraps around Almark's body, but it doesn't touch his face alone.

Almark looked up at the ceiling of the cave with a smile.

"I just can't move my body. I have time to think carefully, Raido. Please help me."

"Okay."

Reido tightens his face and grips his cane again.

Shall I burn it with fire?

That's how you make a wildfire on the tip of your wand.

"Fire. It might be good."

Almark also answered.

A flame of wildfire floats, approaching an irregular mass wrapped in Almark.

The chunks moved so hard that they didn't like the fire.

"Oh, I hate you."

Almark makes a bright voice.

Isn't that nice?

That's right.

As Raido gets closer to the Oni-Fire, the corners of the lump burn and smell nasty.

"Leave me alone."

Almark sounded distressed.

"I'm sorry, Raido. Stay away from the fire for a second."

Ah, ahh

When Reido drew the fire, Almark exhaled.

"When he scorched me, he tightened my body as much as he could. It was incredible. I thought I'd break my whole body."

I see. Then the flames won't work. "

Reido extinguishes the fire.

"Well, how about water?"

Reido stroked his staff.

Spring surgery.

Water gushes out of the cane and pours into it in an irregular form.

"Leave me alone."

Ah, you can't do this either.

Raidow lowers his staff.

"Well, what about the cold air? It's a defrosting technique."

"Leave me alone."

I can't do this either. Shall I blow it with the wind? It's wind magic. "

"Leave me alone."

Reido tried all the other magic he had, but Almark's moaning just stuck in the cave and didn't work.

"No."

Reido fell on his knees.

"I'm sorry, Almark. It was just me."

Don't worry about it, Raido.

Almark said with the same vibrant voice, even though his body had been tightened for a long time.

"I'm fine. Try more."

Even if you say so.

Raidow lies down.

"I can't think of any more."

"But what you've heard from the middle school people is that the first layer can be managed by applying the magic of the middle school. I'm sure he can handle it."

"Is that true, too?"

Reido bit his lips.

"Sorry, Almark. I'm a really bad guy. I can't even get you out of here with someone like you."

Don't give up, Raido.

Almark raised his voice.

"Don't stop thinking. I can't help thinking about it."

Then continue back to the usual calm voice.

"Look, you always say that. He's like my brother, or he's like my sister. I found the answer in the statue room earlier."

Almark lifts his neck and looks at Reido with a spicy face.

"I'm sure that's how you do it. [M] I do it my way, and you do it yours. If you don't know, go back there."

"My way...."

Reido murmured and then shook his head.

"I failed in the martial arts tournament. That's how I missed the heat inside of me."

"Sometimes the way things work doesn't suit me."

Only Almark's voice is calm.

"I thought my way of doing things in this cave would work. For now, I'm about to break it. [M] But you were more flexible. [M] This is not a martial arts arena. You don't have to deny it all because you failed once."

The meaning of Almark's words was also understood by Raido.

But more than that, Almark's attitude of not showing a spicy expression in such a painful situation and not blaming herself moved Rado.

"Okay. I'm sorry I said such a pathetic thing. I'll think about it again."

Almark replies with a smile to Reido's words.

"Don't apologize anymore, Raido. I'll trust you and wait."

Reido thought.

My way.

Mimic the other person as someone in the family and infer the idea.

Does that help in this situation?

The opponent is a mysterious, amorphous object that is neither human nor living.

No, no, no.

Reido undoing his doubts in his heart.

Does it help? No, it's not.

It helps.

After a while, Raido finally stood up.

Grab the stone that was rolling on the hallway floor.

While Almark was watching, Reido held his cane short and hit it with a stone.

Close your eyes and concentrate.

Looks like you're going to use some tricky magic. I sweat on my forehead.

Almark waited silently.

Honestly, Almark had no idea how to get out of here.

As a last resort, if this thing is magical, I wondered if I could blow the magic out of my body like I did with the copper sorcerer.

But whether it succeeds or fails, it will almost exhaust its magic and send it back to the infirmary.

So it's really the last of them.

Almark thinks optimistically.

But I'm sure Raido will come up with a good idea.

Eventually, Reido raised his face.

In Reido's hand, the stone turned into a small mouse.

The Art of Change.

Reido bent his knees and gently lowered the rat to the ground.

The rat runs.

As the mice rushed straight towards Almark, they quickly ran through the side of the lump wrapped in Almark.

The mass reacted.

Stretch your body out to chase a rat running into the back of the aisle.

But the rat avoids it with agile movements and runs further down the aisle.

The lump is away from Almark.

Follow the mouse and slip.

When the mice were caught with unexpected speed, the chunks remained on the spot satisfactorily.

Reido put his wand against the chunk again.

Spring surgery.

When the water poured down, the chunks turned around in disgust.

The stone returned to its original form from the mouse and broke apart in the lump without being able to tighten, but Raido continued to pour water without hesitation.

Eventually the clouds lifted up the smoke, and the lumps became smaller, so that they could be sucked into the stone floor, and vanished.

I did it.

After an unexpected murmur, Raidow rushed to Almark.

Almark, are you okay?

"Oh, it's okay."

Almark stood at the side of the aisle.

"That's right, Raido."

Thanks to your advice.

Raidow lay ashamed.

"I thought about my family. Then I remembered."

"Yeah."

Almark nodded to continue.

"What do you want?"

"I always have a brother who holds his favorite toy and doesn't let go. Why were you there to take the toys from that brother?"

When I think of my family, I gently relax Raidow's expression.

"Even if I try to take it by force, my brother is crying, but he won't let go. So I'm going to flick a more interesting toy right in front of you."

I see.

Almark laughed.

"I didn't even think of it. It's your way to win."

At the end of the aisle, a staircase leading down to the basement opened its mouth.

"Looks like the first level is this far."

Reido tells Almark.

"Thank you, Almark. I was able to get here."

"I had a good experience too."

Almark answers with a smile.

Then, glance back.

"How do I get home?"

I wonder if we'll have to go back to where we came from.

They began to return to their original passage.

Soon, an iron door stood in front of them.

"That's the guy."

Almark frowned, but Reido calmed down and checked for magic.

"No, it looks like a normal door."

Then push and open carefully.

Then, instead of the flat floor just now, there was a thick rock-skinned passage in front of her.

Beyond that, a blurry moonlight is coming in.

It's the first door.

Almark and Rado looked at each other and then ran down the aisle.

When I got out of the cave, it was already all night outside.

Thank you, Almark.

Reido once again said.

"I really had a conversation."

Have you regained your confidence?

In response to Almark's question, Reido smiled and bowed his neck.

"I don't know. I feel like I can get it back, I feel like I can't."

"You proved your strength."

"I wonder if I can say strength..."

Reido twisted his neck with an unrecognized expression.

"Winning a battle is not the only strength."

Almark said.

Wendy's strength.

The strength of Morgan.

I learned it here.

"Strength and weakness are like the back of a coin."

Almark says.

"Out front or out back. It depends on how you feel."

It's hard.

Reido frowned.

Simply put, if you're confident, you're strong.

Almark slapped Raido on the shoulder.

Raido laughed as if he had been illuminated.

Almark was relieved to see the Reido smile return to his usual serenity.