Chapter 088

「Predictions and Contingencies」

Translator: Silver

“Fuhe…… Fuhehe…… Nitaaa, Niiiitttaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”

Even though we were in the middle of a battle with many lives at stake, Phe began kissing me while smiling.

The act of connecting souls in a non-confrontational manner was fraught with danger.

So when Phe first learned soul arts, Abel went out of her way to say, “if you’re going to touch Al, just use a little.”

Phe’s talent was undeniable, and her soul-related aptitude was definite. Even so, there was a risk.

For example, Phe could connect our emotions through our souls and put too much force into it.

That alone could lead to my death.

So you should never link with other people’s souls unless absolutely necessary.

Abel told Phe that.

I didn’t want to die either, so I asked my little angel to comply with that.

She obediently accepted my terms, but it was also true that she enjoyed touching my soul.

I didn’t say it out loud, but as an older brother, I knew my sister liked “that” the most.

In fact, like hugs and kisses, she wanted to enjoy it daily.

My gentle Phe would endure for me.

But the desire still remained.

Phe needed to place a diverge, and if she found an opportunity, she’d actively try to make it into a thing.

Apparently, now was the time.

Phe’s “Good idea” had such a meaning.

That’s why she was smiling.

Now was the moment she could touch my soul without hesitation.

Of course, she didn’t just make the suggestion just for “touching”, but also to help me do what I wanted.

I stroked my sister’s head.

“Phe, can I ask you something?”

“Y-Yes! Phe will do her best for Nita’s sake! Phe loves Nita! Phe wants to make Nita happy!”

Then her emotions began to flood into me.

Love, love, love, love, love love love love love love love……!

Love Nita! Love! Want! Love! Pat me! Love! Phe wants a kiss! Phe want you to hold Phe! Love! Look only at Phe! Love Phe only wants Nita! Love! Love Love Love Love……

You’re still loved, me.

(However, it’s surprisingly difficult to convey emotions directly……)

It was kind of like focusing in the middle of a storm.

It’d be okay if I just had to direct my feelings towards my little sister’s “happy” voice, but I had to concentrate on the eerie heart.

I couldn’t and didn’t want to shut my ears, so I kept going.

Still, this was a lot better than not knowing the location of the heart’s core.

(Alright, thanks, Phe, looks good!)

The location had already been identified. However, this heart was surprisingly bright.

Even if I shot straight, it would surely dodge.

So, I pushed in.

From that guy’s perspective, it should be impossible for me to suddenly know the location of its core, and that’s how I’d catch it off guard.

I’ll make it look like I was still attacking blindly, luring the heart into a position that left it highly vulnerable.

That guy also tried to destroy the mana siphon while dodging my attacks.

(Now!)

Hit.

The blow definitely penetrated the core.

But I was surprised.

It wasn’t dead center.

Even though it’d been a surprise attack, it managed to dodge a little.

The core was indeed damaged. This guy couldn’t hold on anymore.

However, that minor evasion extended the heart’s lifespan just a little bit longer.

To say that it wasn’t an instant death is to say that there was room for a counterattack.

It wasn’t me who immediately realized the heart’s “intentions”, but Abel.

The heart unleashed what should’ve been its dying gasp.

I thought it would come for me.

I expected a struggle and was cautious.

I thought that if it was going to fight back, it would target me since I was clearly hostile.

However, “It” was unpredictable.

The heart’s final struggle was a suicidal attack.

“………Al, protect the mana stone!”

The heart’s dying gasp was an attempt to break the mana stone.

The mana stone was massive, and the heart was an insect compared to it, so complete destruction was impossible.

However, I felt the definitive rift the attack formed.

My instincts told me something terrible would happen if I didn’t fix it immediately.

(Can the mana of the stone be used to close the crack?!)

No, it’s a little tricky. The stone was probably completely occupied with maintenance.

I needed another mana source.

The candidates were――

I saw my elven teacher.

If it’s her mana, maybe.

With the heart and arms gone, Abel turned another nascent core into a golem and sent it down the hole.

What was it going to do now that the heart was defeated?

“……If you dig slowly, rabbits are precious, and if you dig rapidly, golems are disposable.”

Apparently, the golems will break down if forced to dig in a hurry.

“But, I still didn’t understand the intention behind sending them.”

“……Al.”

Abel put his hand on my head and said,

“……The fact that you couldn’t read the last movement is a demerit. The attack before that was good, and the bait was well prepared, but it shouldn’t have been a simple attack. If you don’t recognize that there are countermeasures that can be taken even when caught off guard, you’ll end up ignoring them.”

I had no words to reply.

At this point, saying my mind was occupied and I couldn’t think of anything wouldn’t be an excuse.

I realized that I lacked perspective and ingenuity.

Abel thought I could do it, and I couldn’t live up to those expectations.

While I was depressed, the palm on my head began to slowly stroke my hair.

“……But, Al did a good job.”

The was no thorn in Abel’s expression.

The problems that needed to be addressed were pointed out, and the deserved praise was given.

Even though I still failed at the last minute.

“MEE! Nita petting, Phe getting! Phe praises Nita’s work!”

My sister was furious.

Abel moved her hand away without much complaint.

“Fuu…… Fuhehehe…… Nita, here, here……”

My little angel patted my head with a big smile on her face.

In the meantime, I took another look at the mana stone.

The traces of destruction were deep and round like craters. And in addition, a long crack ran across the stone’s surface.

How can I say it? It was like the aftermath of an explosion more than an impact.

There was no sign of the heart.

It seems to have disappeared completely.

“……The last attack was literal self-destruction. I don’t know if it was the heart’s will or just set up to do so.”

“Hearts these days are great performers…….”

Abel suddenly took out a package.

It was the one she received from Shereg when we arrived at the ice cave.

“Abel, what’s that?”

“……I gave prior instructions. If this disaster was man-made, the purpose would be to destroy or absorb the power source that created this land mass.”

As expected of my teacher.

She didn’t come here without a plan.

In any case, if the damage could be repaired, would this incident be resolved?

There was nothing else, right?

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