"You're still far from mastering magic perfectly. So when you find yourself in a dangerous situation… run. And if you can't run, strike first and never let your opponent figure out your style."
Eishen explains it calmly to Liora, but she's only half-listening. Today she's tasting her very first hot chocolate—with a marshmallow—made by Maven.
"Why do I have to learn how to defend myself? Do you think I'm going to be in danger?"
Eishen lets out a sigh—or maybe it's just his cooling system venting. Either way, he can't really blame her for not getting it.
"Life is made of danger and beauty… From all the data I have on this world, sometimes you have to suffer to be happy. Good cannot exist without evil. Simply put: something bad could happen to you, and that's a variable I refuse to accept. If I'm not there, who's going to protect you?"
Liora points at Eishen's own mug of hot chocolate, silently telling him to drink. He has no choice. He lets the liquid flow into him… It isn't necessary for a machine, but they built a taste and hunger system into the early models like him. It lets them recharge without magic energy and detect possible poisons. For Eishen, though, it mostly means he gets to share a warm hot chocolate with Liora.
"You always make things too complicated, Eishen… You're such a little old man! Just say you don't want me facing danger alone… But you know it goes both ways. So don't get yourself hurt for no reason trying to protect me."
That moment took place four days ago. And it's exactly that scene that gives Liora the strength to act now, standing against Oracio.
She raises her hands. A tingling sensation dances at her fingertips. Then, calmly, she releases a swarm of small blue butterflies. According to Oracio, their shape is beautiful. This kind of technique is truly unique—almost special.
Oracio watches with eerie calm. He quickly realizes something's off. Without panicking, he slices the butterflies apart effortlessly. They had been releasing a fine powder meant to sedate opponents.
"A spell like that… I've seen older mages with far less talent pull it off."
He leaps backward, out of range. Normally he wouldn't have noticed anything strange, but right now he feels unnaturally composed. He sharpens his blade once more against the fold of his elbow—where the black gem is embedded—then launches three crescent blades of energy straight at Liora.
"You're a beginner, aren't you~?"
He keeps firing energy blades. At first Liora dodges, but soon she tires of constant movement and raises a sturdy barrier of resistant blue light.
"Why do you want to act so cruelly? Other people's lives matter too."
The gems on his calves flare to life. In an instant he rockets upward, propelled into the sky. The gems on the soles of his feet then blast him forward at terrifying speed. His sword slams into the barrier, cracking it. The black gems he's using shine faintly through his clothes before dimming again.
"My life matters more than anyone else's. I don't care what happens to other people… Kid, don't you get it? Sometimes being selfish is the only thing that keeps you alive."
He hammers the barrier again and again with inhuman speed until the gems on his arms glow too brightly and he stops. He spins in a full circle, then delivers a mana-charged spinning kick that shatters the barrier and sends Liora flying backward. She catches herself, feet skidding across the ground.
"…A friend once told me I was stupid for risking my life for strangers, that I should be more selfish… She said I don't value my own life enough. But she was wrong about one thing: I'm not stupid!"
Golden magical flames wrap around her fists.
"Are you ready for what comes next? Because after this, you're never going to live selfishly again! I've decided… Oracio, I'm making you my second knight! If your life belongs to me, then you can count on me to put it first!"
Oracio scratches his head… He plans to finish this before the Empire's robot shows up to help—or so he thinks.
But she's already in front of him, propelled by lightning magic. He retreats far back—she's still there. He moves even faster, trying to shake her… He desperately needs to reset his stance; he let his guard down too much. Yet every time his feet touch the ground, she's already waiting. No opening. No time to breathe.
Until finally the gems in his legs refuse to activate again—the ones that let him move at blinding speed. The moment he realizes it, her magic-infused fist crashes into his cheek.
Liora may be physically weak, but that strike carries the force of a seasoned soldier. It sends him flying into a wall in a burst of golden fire that keeps burning.
"Haha, I knew it! You can't keep attacking forever—the gems in your legs need time to recharge. Even if they're fused with your body, they still have limits… I'm honestly surprised. Most normal humans would already be dead from using them that much."
Oracio brushes off the flames and cracks his neck.
"These gems run on my blood. But I'm a bit… special, you see? I owe that to a friend who saved my life once… You're more dangerous than I expected, kid. Guess I'll have to break one or two of your legs."
Golden flames reignite around Liora's hands while black smoke pours from Oracio's body. A heartbeat later, their attacks clash in full fury… just as Eishen finally reaches the right road.
End of chapter.