Chapter 45
Logan. Dozens of subordinates surrounding the mana. And… Anthony, who wasn’t here, having been sent to the Grand Duke’s castle to carry out other orders after sending me here.
The reason Logan didn’t appear in the original story. The reason Chase wasn’t gentle. It was because, in this very place, an event so despairing had occurred that Chase had been forced to overturn everything he had.
Because of that, Chase didn’t want to lose anyone precious to him ever again, so he cast aside all his pride and bowed his head to Grace.
Tap. Tap.
Raindrops began to fall over my head. I looked up at the sky again. The space that had been completely blocked in black had opened up. I could feel the mana, the cold energy flowing into my body, weakening. The size of the mana that had been raging beside me like a tornado had clearly diminished.
Now, the mana storm would not occur. Logan and the knights wouldn’t turn into monsters, and there would be no need for Chase to kill them. So, there would be no reason for him to cast aside everything and go to Grace to ask Vivian for help like in the original story.
There probably wouldn’t be a gentle Chase now. It was a little disappointing that I wouldn’t get to see the Chase from the original story that I had expected, but it was still better than losing all of these people.
But why? Why had I suddenly seen that illusion of the past? It was strange that something that had happened in the original story but wouldn’t happen now had appeared before me. I had learned something because of it, but…
While I was puzzled by the unexplainable phenomenon, the sky fully opened, and the raindrops striking me grew stronger. At the same time, the sharp wind and rain lashed against my entire body. It was the moment I absorbed the last remaining mana around me. The strings of my robe came loose in the wind and flew off. Startled, I turned my head toward the robe, and in that instant, I lost my balance.
At that moment, a firm arm wrapped around my waist. When I looked at the person with startled eyes, it was Chase.
“Chase, I…!”
“Stay still. Don’t turn around.”
Hm?
With a slight furrow of his brow, he whispered in a low voice and draped his jacket over me. What’s going on? Glancing back carefully, I saw that Logan and the other subordinates had all turned their backs.
I didn’t know what was going on, but I grabbed the jacket.
“Ah, thank you.”
Perhaps because it had been wrapped around his body, a warm heat was conveyed through it. Only then did I realize that I had been shivering from the cold. As the tension left me, my whole body began to tremble without me realizing it. Even so, pretending to be fine, I looked up at Chase and smiled brightly.
“I told you I could do it, right?”
Chase didn’t answer. His black hair was soaked, and the raindrops clinging to the ends of his bangs kept falling onto my face. With an unreadable expression, he quietly stared at me, then bent down to match my height.
“Your body?”
The same question as before.
“I’m completely fine.”
Chase’s gaze shifted to my hand gripping the jacket. My left hand was still wrapped in bandages, so I was holding it tightly with only my right hand, but Chase pulled the jacket closer and straightened it for me.
“You’re trembling, yet you answer well.”
“But this can’t be helped. It’s because of the rain.”
“Nita.”
“Yes?”
Thinking I was trembling that much, I looked at my hand before raising my head. A large hand lightly brushed across my rain-soaked forehead. He lowered his hand and began fastening the jacket buttons one by one.
“I’m asking just in case.”
“What is it?”
“Do you have any lingering attachment to your family?”
What? So suddenly?
I frowned and answered,
“Not at all. I don’t want to go back to a place like that ever again.”
“I see.”
Chase gave a short nod as if he understood, then, after fastening all the buttons of the jacket, stepped aside from blocking the front.
“You can turn around now.”
At that one sentence, his subordinates who had been turned away all turned toward me at once. Chase took my hand. Then, slowly lifting it, he whispered in my ear.
“I’m going to remove your name from the Grace family tomorrow.”
“…What?”
The moment my hand was suddenly raised and I widened my eyes, asking back, a loud cheer from the knights burst out, cutting through the sound of the rain.
“Waaah!”
“Nita! Nita Grace! Our Mage!”
Chase, who had briefly turned his gaze toward the knights, slowly brushed back my rain-soaked hair.
“Do you agree with my decision?”
“…I agree.”
I nodded.
Of course I do!
***
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