PDMLS 09

On the way back, only silence filled the carriage.

Part of the reason was that two members of our group had turned into stone… but the biggest reason was Philion.

He was sitting there with his head in his hands, utterly devastated.

If Hemil had been there, he would have said something as the eldest among us. Unfortunately, he was currently sitting on the coachman’s seat.

Philion was like this, and I was someone who could barely ride a horse properly.

‘Ah, this is driving me insane.’

It wasn’t like I wasn’t sad either. Bridin was the friend I trusted the most.

I knew her circumstances well. Bridin had become a mercenary to pay off the debt her father, a blacksmith, had accidentally incurred. Her three younger siblings depended entirely on her income.

They must be waiting to hear from her.

‘I have to fix this somehow.’

Fortunately, there was still a way. I looked at Bridin, who had become a stone statue.

‘I’ll definitely turn you back, Bridin.’

Then, without thinking, I turned my gaze toward Dale…

And ended up making eye contact with Philion.

“This is your fault.”

He spoke in a chilling voice.

“I could have saved her. The moment I saw the snake, I realized it was a Medira. It wasn’t even that far away.”

“……”

“If I had rushed over… I could have reached Master. If only you… if only you hadn’t been there…”

“Then why didn’t you?”

His shoulders trembled violently.

“Why did you save me?”

I knew those weren’t words I should say to someone who had saved my life. It wasn’t that I had no intention of comforting him.

But I was simply too curious.

Why did you save me?

You don’t even remember me.

“I don’t know.”

“……How can you not know that?”

“My body moved before I could even think…”

Philion trailed off and rubbed his face. The expression in his eyes, visible through his hair, was unbearably complicated. As if even he couldn’t understand himself.

And because of that, I became certain.

‘You really did like me.’

He became obsessed with someone who looked like me.

He followed that person like a slave, just as I had told him to.

And even without remembering me, he instinctively saved me.

‘There’s no other way to explain all of this.’

Philion Elfert likes me.

That was why he stole the forbidden book…

Because he was trying to bring me back to life.

During that process, something must have happened and caused him to lose his memories.

‘Looking back carefully, there were holes in the story, but he must have never noticed them.’

And that was why he separated from Erien as well. What woman would stay by the side of a man who was despairing over another woman?

At last, all my questions were answered. I pressed the sides of my forehead and bit my lip.

And then the thought that came to mind was…

‘Ugh, my conscience.’

I had only been trying to survive. But my lies had come back with consequences far beyond what I expected.

Someone might say I should have investigated things properly before doing something like that. But at the time, it had been the best option I had.

That guy had barely shown his hair for three months after Erien joined him! How was I supposed to think he liked me?!

So technically, Philion, this was partly your fault too…!

‘No. Let’s stop.’

It had already happened. What was the point of arguing over it now?

What mattered was what happened from here on.

“Um… Philion.”

“Black Dog.”

“R-right. Black Dog…”

I carefully continued.

“Thank you. Really, thank you for saving me. I’ll definitely repay this debt.”

“How?”

He glared at me coldly. I shrugged.

“I need to undo the petrification first.”

“……Can it be reversed?”

His polite speech returned immediately. I nodded.

“Let’s go to the temple first.”

The priest who was an old friend of Hemil shook his head sadly.

“I’m sorry, but there is currently no priest within the Empire who can undo petrification. Even the High Priest’s divine power is not strong enough for that.”

“What about the Holy Kingdom?”

“They probably have someone capable there… but as you know, the road to the Holy Kingdom is extremely dangerous. The statues could break during the journey. And above all, the cost would be quite…”

The priest couldn’t finish his sentence, and Hemil let out a deep sigh. I silently calculated the cost.

Damn it. No matter how I thought about it, it seemed like I would have to spend my entire fortune.

“What about contacting the Magic Tower? The cost won’t be small either, but isn’t it much closer?”

“I already looked into that.”

“Hm? I heard the current Tower Master isn’t such a cold person. Didn’t he offer assistance?”

“The Tower Master isn’t at the Magic Tower right now.”

“Why?”

“He went to capture Philion Elfert.”

At my answer, the priest looked shocked.

“To capture him…? Have you finally found him?”

“They said they received reliable information.”

The real one is right here in the Empire, though.

Of all times, why did such information have to appear now?

“What about the other high-ranking mages?”

“Most of them aren’t in the Empire either. They either went hunting demons or went after Philion Elfert. Both are profitable.”

“Ah! Count Delaike? If it’s him, someone whose abilities rival the Tower Master’s…”

“He apparently led his relatives and disciples to go rescue Philion Elfert.”

The conversation ended with everything somehow leading back to Philion, and Hemil and I left the Grand Temple with heavy steps.

Through Hemil’s connections, we visited several information brokers, but there was no good news.

We headed toward the old district empty-handed.

The moment we opened the door to the small house Dale had recently purchased, Philion appeared.

“What happened?”

Hemil only responded with a deep sigh, and Philion glared at me.

You said there was a way?

His eyes seemed to accuse me.

‘I didn’t know even the Tower Master would be gone.’

If he had been in the Empire right now, I would have revealed my identity to Erien and honestly asked for help. I had even prepared myself to do that.

But Philion couldn’t read my thoughts that far, and honestly, I still hesitated to tell him everything myself.

After some time passed, Hemil spoke.

“……I’m sorry. I truly never expected things to turn out like this.”

“Don’t blame yourself. None of us could do anything.”

“And I have something even more unfortunate to say. I have to leave the capital tomorrow. My next request is in the south… I’m truly sorry.”

“It’s fine.”

“I should be the one staying when things are like this…”

Since it looked like he would continue blaming himself forever, I forcibly shoved his sword and luggage into his hands and urged him to leave.

It was already evening. If he was leaving tomorrow, shouldn’t he prepare early?

Besides…

There were things I needed to discuss without Hemil around.

“If I happen to meet a high-ranking mage, I’ll explain the situation and ask for help. I’ll also look for a way while I’m in the south.”

“Yes, Hemil. Please.”

“I’ll contact you when I return to the capital.”

After seeing Hemil off alone, I returned to the living room.

Philion was there, still holding his head like he had in the carriage.

What was so good about a guy who slapped his own cheek whenever he was frustrated?

He looked like someone who had just heard the world was ending tomorrow.

……Was he like that even after I left the Western Continent?

‘Then why didn’t he react at all when Erien told him I was dead?’

At that moment, he raised his head.

“What are you going to do?”

“……I’ll fix them.”

His eyes widened slightly.

“You can?”

“I can’t.”

And then his eyes narrowed.

Are you joking with me?

That was clearly what his expression meant.

But I was serious.

“So I’m going to study from now on.”

Actually, I had studied petrification解除 magic in the past. I had also practiced various detoxification and healing spells.

Since I knew I could never beat Philion in combat magic even if I died and came back to life, I had tried to find another path.

But no matter how hard I studied or how much mana I poured into it, my healing magic only reached about a quarter of the effectiveness it was supposed to have.

My affinity was simply terrible.

Meanwhile, Philion was good at even that, which had annoyed me so much…

“Can you do it if you study?”

……

I almost heard it as:

You think you can do that?

“Of course I have to try.”

“……What does that mean?”

“Exactly what I said. My mana isn’t suited for healing magic. So I’m going to take potions regularly and change the nature of my mana.”

Let’s imagine healing magic as green and my mana as red.

The potion would also be green because it carried the nature of healing magic.

If you mixed my red mana with the potion’s green mana?

At first, it would be cloudy and unstable, but if you kept mixing them, eventually you would get brown.

And since brown is closer to green than red, healing-type magic would become easier to use than before.

‘Then I should be able to use petrification解除 magic as well.’

What happens afterward?

It’s the same as mixing paint.

‘Once mana is mixed with another attribute, it can never return to its original state.’

In other words, I would have to live with brown mana forever.

Couldn’t I just keep taking potions?

Then my mana would become even more unstable, and I might not be able to use magic at all.

It was a method that could only be done once in a lifetime.

And the body suffered while the constitution changed.

But still…

‘What else can I do?’

‘I have to save my friend.’

And repay the debt Philion had given me.

“I can do it.”

“Isn’t that dangerous?”

“It’s not dangerous.”

I might lose the ability to use some magic.

“……What about me?”

“Hm?”

“If I were Philion Elfert, could I do it?”

I stared at him with wide eyes.

“You could… technically…”

You hadn’t believed me this whole time.

You said you weren’t Philion Elfert.

You were Black Dog.

“Let’s try.”

“But you don’t have your memories. And you haven’t even used magic properly, have you?”

“I can try. How do I do it?”

I couldn’t overcome the demanding look in his eyes, so I slowly began explaining.

Fortunately, Philion quickly sensed mana.

“There is something in the air that feels different. Is this it?”

“That’s right! Imagine absorbing it. Then store it here, in your heart.”

“I think I did it.”

Even after losing his memories, was a genius still a genius?

He progressed incredibly quickly.

I spoke with rising expectations.

“Let’s start with a simple spell. Focus on your heartbeat… gather the mana at your fingertips…”

I could feel mana gathering around Philion as well.

Just a little more…

Just a little more…

Now!

“Release!”

And the next moment.

Pop!

With a tiny, adorable sound, his mana scattered into pieces.

That was it.

The wind that had been slowly blowing disappeared completely, and the surrounding mana returned to its original place.

Philion blinked and looked at me.

I froze in confusion as well.

No matter how much he had lost his memories…

“Wow. You’re really bad at this.”

Oops.

I quickly covered my mouth, but Philion’s forehead had already creased.