Even so, I don't regret it.
It didn't take long for Rudell, who had reached the mountainside, to finish his preparations.
"This is it."
Muttering those words, Rudell buried the last artillery shell in the snow.
The shells were engraved with a seal that resembled a blazing inferno.
It was the magic Rudell had inscribed on the shells to detonate them simultaneously.
When Rudell channeled his mana, the shells would react and explode all at once, and the impact would trigger an avalanche.
"Phew…"
Rudell, who was double-checking the situation by looking around, shivered slightly with a short sigh.
It wasn't because of the low temperature of the Blade Ring Mountains.
It was because he was nervous about artificially causing an avalanche.
Even Rudell couldn't be sure about the scale of the avalanche or its aftermath.
If he made even a small mistake, not only Leje but also the entire County could be swept away.
"Calm down, me…"
He knew there was no other way, but he couldn't help but feel nervous.
And after a few seconds...
"Alright…"
Rudell, who had made up his mind, moved to a slightly distant spot and exhaled his mana along with a white breath.
His spreading mana reacted with the seals engraved on the shells, starting to burn hot with a red light...
-Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-gwang!!
Following that, countless explosions began to erupt from the mountainside of the Blade Ring Mountains with a tremendous roar.
The roar created by the simultaneous explosion of dozens of artillery shells echoed through the mountains, where only the sound of the wind had been heard before...
"...?"
Rudell couldn't help but make a dumbfounded expression at the ensuing situation.
"What the...? Why is nothing happening?"
Dozens of artillery shells had exploded all at once, but the snow covering the mountains showed no signs of change.
"Could it be that the power wasn't enough!?"
The snowdrifts remained completely still...
It was a situation completely outside his expectations.
"Calm down, Rudell. First, I need to calm down!!"
They say haste makes waste.
If artillery shells didn't work, he could just try to manage it with magic.
It was at that moment when Rudell, who had thought that far, was about to draw up his mana to cause another explosion.
-Kugu-gu-gu-gu-gung…
"...?"
At the ominous sound coming from somewhere, Rudell turned his head towards the direction of the sound with a puzzled look.
And as he confirmed the source of the sound, he felt goosebumps all over his body.
-Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-gwang!!!
What he saw was an enormous amount of snow pouring down from the summit of the Blade Ring Mountains, accompanied by a tremendous roar.
Dozens... no, maybe even hundreds of tons of snow were rushing towards him, swallowing everything in its path.
The moment he saw it, only one thought came to Rudell's mind.
'If I get caught in that, I'm dead.'
"Uwaaaaah!! This is insane!!"
Without even a moment to think, Rudell shouted and quickly left his spot.
A few seconds later, an avalanche of tremendous scale swept over the place where he had been standing.
What would have happened if he had been caught in that?
Rudell shuddered at the sensation that gave him goosebumps just thinking about it.
But, only for a moment.
"Wait a minute…"
The thought that he might be forgetting something crossed his mind...
"Leje!!"
At the same time, Rudell, who remembered what he had forgotten, turned pale and started running along the mountains.
* * *
"Haaaat!!"
[Gooooooooo-!!]
As Leje and the magical beast's attacks collided, a powerful shockwave spread...
The empty village where the battle was taking place had already been destroyed beyond recognition.
"When the hell is he coming!?"
Leje muttered in an irritated voice as she looked at the magical beast in front of her.
Both Leje and the magical beast were clearly exhausted.
It was only natural, as they had been fighting non-stop for hours without rest.
"I'm going to charge you a hefty price later...!!"
Shouting in a voice filled with frustration, she was about to launch an attack at the magical beast when...
-Kugu-gu-gu-gu-gung…
"Huh?"
She stopped moving at the unidentified roar coming from behind her.
Then, with a sense of foreboding, she turned her head, and what she saw was...
-Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-gwang!!
"Wh-what is thaaaat-!?"
It was an enormous avalanche pouring down, swallowing everything in its path.
If I get swept away, I'm dead.
Looking at the avalanche that was engulfing everything in front of her, Leje thought so and hurriedly tried to leave the spot.
But...
[Gooooooooo-!!]
Seeing the magical beast turning around to escape, she changed her mind.
What was the reason she caused this avalanche in the first place?
Wasn't it to bury that magical beast?
If she left here, the magical beast would also leave, and all the time she had earned would be meaningless.
"Absolutely not."
You're going to die with me, even if it kills me.
Thinking so, she charged towards the magical beast that was turning around.
[Gooooooooo-!!]
The magical beast, reacting to her actions, turned back to face her and took an attack stance.
At the same time, Leje swung her sword countless times.
Her sword strikes and the magical beast's attacks collided, creating numerous echoes, and the avalanche pouring down was getting closer and closer.
Should I run away now? Maybe there's another way?
Such thoughts began to surface in her mind, but she tried her best to shake them off.
'Rudell will do something.'
Amidst the rising anxiety, her firm belief in him kept her rooted to the spot.
Meanwhile, the roar from behind her grew louder and louder, and her anxiety grew along with it.
But she couldn't let go of her sword.
She couldn't bear to see all the hardships she had gone through become meaningless.
The cold sensation of frost on her back.
It must have meant that the avalanche was right in front of her.
[Gooooooooo…]
The magical beast also seemed to have sensed that the approaching avalanche was not a normal one, as it tried to run away, leaving her who was attacking it behind.
But she knew.
It was already too late.
The roar of the pouring avalanche drowned out even the cries of the magical beast.
She could guess the situation behind her without even looking directly.
"Sigh…"
Releasing the strength from her sword-wielding hand, she let out a short sigh.
It wasn't that she hadn't thought of this kind of ending, but...
It's still a bit scary when it actually happens.
With that thought, she closed her eyes.
But at least the County will be safe.
That's enough, right?
At the same time, a strong impact engulfed her body, and her consciousness sank into darkness.
* * *
[Aren't you afraid of me?]
One spring day, she couldn't even remember when it was.
She had asked Rudell that.
[Huh? Why would I be?]
And Rudell had answered her like that.
[Well... I'm a princess of the Dukedom. And I have superhuman strength that others don't have. I'm better than others at everything...]
Special than others.
For her, it meant that there was an insurmountable wall between her and others.
But...
[Is that so important?]
[What?]
[You said you're better than others at everything, right? Then can you use magic?]
[Not really...]
She answered, trailing off at his question.
The way to manipulate mana was determined from birth.
People like her, who had the characteristic of strengthening their bodies, couldn't use magic that was formed by releasing mana, and conversely, those who could release mana couldn't use the ability to strengthen their bodies.
It was common sense and truth.
[See? Everyone has something special about them. It's special that you have superhuman strength, and it's special that I can use magic.]
[Is that so...?]
[Let me give you another example. Are you better at chess than me?]
[Th-that's because I'm a beginner!]
Their chess record so far was 10 games, 0 wins, 10 losses.
It was her overwhelming defeat.
[You said you're better than others at everything?]
[Ugh...!!]
She groaned at Rudell's question, which he asked with a chuckle.
It was a conversation that could have been offensive if it had been anyone else, but strangely, she didn't feel that bad when he said those things.
Rather, it was enjoyable.
[I swear, talking to you makes me feel like I'm becoming an idiot.]
[You are an idiot.]
Rudell said with a faint smile towards her, who sighed briefly.
[Do you really want to die?]
She said that, but a smile bloomed on her lips.
A genuine smile that didn't contain any pretense or falsehood.
It was a smile she had never shown to anyone except her father and the people of the Dukedom.
This must be what a true friend is.
[Thank you, Rudell. For being my friend.]
With that thought, she put down the teacup that smelled fragrant and said so.
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