The Price of a Protection Spell

Watching the face grow back on the side that had been headless, my stomach churned until I felt like vomiting.

“What… is that?”

“Elliot.”

I instinctively shoved Cedric behind me to shield him. As I stood guard, he called my name and grabbed my sleeve. For a split second, I wondered why he was calling for Elliot, then remembered that was the name I’d given him.

“…Talk to me.”

I couldn’t focus even with Cedric at my side. I raised my sword, wary of the bird—that grotesque fusion of crow and bat—diving again.

“Eneros are organisms created from the powder of a ground-up magic stone…”

Before he could even finish, the sky began to darken. Screeching cries that grated on the nerves echoed from both the distance and right above us. I readjusted my grip on the hilt. It had been a long time since I felt tension in the face of a giant monster, but for once, my palms were sweating. Cedric, pressed tightly against my back, finished his whisper:

“They move as a pack.”

Action was faster than words. I spun around, snatched Cedric by the waist, and sprinted down the hallway. Cedric obediently held onto my shoulder. As if he had done something, a bluish light flickered before my eyes just as the black birds lunged.

In all my life, I’d never been afraid of birds. If they were a monster species larger than a human, sure—but crows were common sights. However, when a flock of birds numbering well over a hundred charged at me as one, fear was the only rational response.

Kyah!

“You crazy—!”

I used the flat of my blade to swat away an Enero that had thrust its beak through a cracking shield. If I cut them, their numbers would only double after a short time, so I couldn’t swing my sword recklessly. The only thing I could rely on was Cedric’s barrier, but since they didn’t give him enough breathing room to layer several sturdy shields, he could only buy time by wrapping us in a single, quick layer.

Having given up on silent casting in the chaos, Cedric was constantly muttering spells. It was basic common sense that uttering words was stronger than silent casting, and full sentences were stronger than single words. Cedric, who had started with silent barriers and moved to shouting “Wall,” was now reciting long sentences that sounded like prayers.

I couldn’t bring myself to tell the person maintaining our shield to run on his own feet, so I carried him on my back as I ran. I’d often trained with weights heavier than him, so it wasn’t particularly difficult, but I lacked the leisure to do anything other than run and swing my sword. If the numbers would just dwindle, I’d try to face them, but there wasn’t even proper space to lose them in this wide corridor.

An Enero opened its beak wide and bit my arm. Its red eyes looked like they didn’t belong to a living creature. Despite me swinging my arm, it clung on tenaciously, forcing me to eventually smash its head with my sword hilt to knock it off. Fortunately, it hadn’t torn a chunk of flesh out, but my clothes were ruined. Blood trickled down my exposed forearm.

“How much longer do we have to run?! Is there no way to kill them?”

“A sturdy wall… Eneros won’t die until the caster’s magic is severed. Let a wall block our enemies…”

Cedric’s voice, which usually sounded drained of all energy even when he was being grumpy, now had a sharp edge to it. He seemed resentful that he had to put in his full effort against things he thought a silent spell would handle. Even so, I suppose it was difficult for an undergraduate, genius or not, to easily dismantle the magic of the Tower Master.

Then again, I didn’t know how he’d been able to undo the seals upstairs so easily…

It wasn’t my field of expertise, so I wasn’t going to understand it anyway. I hiked him up to keep his legs from dragging and pushed forward. Even while preparing a long incantation, Cedric didn’t forget to create one-time shields.

The shield would break, I’d swing my sword to knock the Eneros back, and a new shield would immediately snap into place. The timing was impeccable. I marveled at it as I cleared the path ahead like a car’s windshield wipers. Finally, Cedric finished his incantation.

“…Block them, so they shall not pass!”

A powerful force pushed my body forward. I immediately spun around to glare at the approaching enemies, but the Eneros were stopped by an invisible wall. Seeing them smash their heads against it and fall to the floor in their desperate attempt to reach us made my skin crawl.

Cedric, who had stayed perched on me as I sat on the floor to catch my breath, looked at me with a proud face. It seemed I couldn’t get away without praising him this time. When I stroked his hair, he rubbed his head against my palm like a young animal.

“Did I do well?”

“You did well.”

“Then…”

I pulled his head toward me before he could even ask. His white forehead was still fresh and dry even after that frantic escape. The kiss on his forehead was brief, but it was accompanied by a wave of self-loathing that words couldn’t describe. I had to use every ounce of mind control not to push him away after I was the one who initiated it. This is just a wall. This is just a wall, and it’s inanimate. Kissing a forehead is a common sign of friendship even among family, so it’s fine.

However, Cedric’s reaction, which I thought would be joyful, was different. His lips dipped slightly and his eyebrows tensed. I nearly snapped at his look of dissatisfaction. I’d closed my eyes and given him my “lips” (well, to his forehead), and this was what I got?

“What’s with that reaction?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Cedric smoothed his expression back to his usual vacant look and said, “Do you praise others like that often?”

Ah… so he was jealous. Swallowing the thought, ‘You’re really something else,’ I smiled kindly.

“No.”

His face immediately brightened, which was almost funny. I moved him aside and stood up.

“Other people manage to do well on their own without me having to praise them every step of the way.”

Cedric shut his mouth and followed me silently.

After running down the hallway for a while, we seemed to be nearing the end. The wide, plaza-like corridor narrowed abruptly. The space reminiscent of a temple vanished, replaced by an area covered in rock. The ceiling was swallowed by the stone, and the interior grew dark. Cedric turned on his firefly-like lights again.

The floor, which had been so clean it showed no seams, was now cracked in places, forcing us to choose our footing carefully. That wasn’t a problem, but the rock ceiling grew lower and lower, forcing me to hunch over. The path was so narrow that two people couldn’t pass at once. I led the way, with Cedric following behind. The cries of the Eneros in the distance faded.

In their place, the sound of dripping water echoed. The sound was amplified like in a cave, making my shoulders flinch at every drop. A musty, fishy smell drew closer. Since a monster like that had popped up before we even reached a proper checkpoint, there was no telling what else lay ahead.

I carefully stepped onto the floor, which was slippery with moisture. At the thought of a nearby threat, my legs tensed and my breathing slowed instinctively. I wanted to grip my sword, but Cedric wouldn’t let go of my hand, so I had to give up my right hand. I could draw with my left, but the reaction speed would be different. I was annoyed, but I figured he was nervous too, so I let it be.

The further we went, the more the path became a mess, to the point where I questioned if it was a path at all. I was crouching through a particularly narrow section when Cedric squeezed my hand tightly.

“…Elliot.”

“Speak.”

Instead of stating his business, he shook our joined hands. He wanted me to look at him. I blew a breath to clear my bangs and turned to face him.

“What?”

“We’re close now, so you should speak kindly.”

Does one have to sell their conscience to gain the talent required to be a Tower Master at such a young age? I gave Cedric Klein a radiant smile. My voice was as kind as could be, just as he wished.

“What is it, dear? Has some urgent matter suddenly welled up within you?”

As if he’d been waiting for me to turn around, Cedric didn’t talk back but instead placed his hand on my forehead. When I let him be, his thumb slowly rubbed my skin. Because we were both hunched over, Cedric’s face was at my eye level, looking noble as if he had no ulterior motives.

Soon, a cold, alien energy—like being doused with water—washed over my body. I instinctively blinked. There was no visible change, but I knew he had used magic on me.

“It’s a good thing.”

“Protection magic?”

“Yes.”

The corners of Cedric’s mouth turned up proudly. It seemed my comment about others doing well on their own had been quite effective. He’d cast magic without being asked, even though the situation wasn’t particularly dire.

Of course, I didn’t expect the spell he cast to have only a protective function. I was, after all, someone who had dealt with a tracking spell cast by my own brother.

“And did you happen to… slip something else in while you were at it?”

At those words, Cedric smiled beautifully, like the madman he was. Truly, he was incredibly beautiful. The way his slightly downturned eyes crinkled was enough to make anyone’s heart skip a beat with a sense of pity.

“Just… while I was at it…”

His voice was so small I had to strain to hear it. To an outsider, it would have sounded cautious. How loathsome. I gave a half-hearted thanks and turned back around. I could feel Cedric’s hand fidgeting as he held mine.