章節 217: She Cuts Through the Looking Glass
Christian's eyes widened. "You don't mean..."
"The longer we stay here, the more likely Keith will do something that we won't be able to counter." Robin pointed out. "From our prior look around, I got a sense of where everything is, including the mirrors and angles. So leave the calculations to me."
Christian nodded. time was of the essence. He listened carefully as Robin explained the details of the plan.
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"You people.... You can enjoy the one thing that I could never have. My father hoped that I'd be like him. He taught me ever since I was a baby, even before we could check my attributes. He hoped that I could be a strong leader that would bring the black merchants guild back from the lawless organization that it is now. If I was strong, then I could stand in the light, unafraid of anything.
But....when the results came in...I could only disappoint him." The lad struggled past the lump in his throat. "My attributes being poor could be fixed with practice. But the amount of mana I could use at any given time...they had never seen such a small amount before. You may as well have said that I couldn't use magic at all..."
"And? What happened then?" Keith said.
The lad looked up at the light "My father lost all hope. He took to drinking. He stopped talking to me. He even avoided me like the plague. But, one day, he finally spoke to me." Tears gathered in the lad's eyes. "He told me that I could be useful to him by staying in this cage. He said that it was a rare treasure that could increase my mana capacity simply by staying here for ten years."
"When did you last see him?" Liam asked.
"...I don't know. The days have all blurred together down here. It has been a long time since I last saw father. If it weren't for Boukki, then I wouldn't be able to last this long alone."
"...I see...." Liam sighed. "Your aptitudes and capacity may be terrible, but have you done anything to increase them?"
"What are you talking about?" The lad asked.
"You're father didn't teach you a method to practice the small amount that you could control?" Liam asked.
"No?" The lad looked at Liam in confusion.
Liam explained. "As a matter of fact, just like any other organ, if you don't regularly practice to increase your mana flow, then it will inevitably atrophy. When was the last time you even attempted magic?"
"....you're lying..." The lad began to shake. "YOU'RE LYING!! THERE'S NO WAY THAT MY DAD WOULD LIE TO ME!" He grabbed the bars of the cage he was in, enraged.
"He could ignore you, his own son, for so long. What is lying after that?" Liam pointed out. "If he blamed you for ruining his plans, what is a little lie to keep you out of his hair?"
"DO YOU THINK I LIKE BEING THIS WAY!?" The lad forgot himself as he roared out the words he had kept hidden inside his heart. "Do you think I enjoy seeing what should be as easy as breathing to me ending in failure!? Do you think I enjoy seeing myself reflected in their eyes as an utter disappointment? A jinx? A mere trash? If a baby crawls on the ground, then it's an achievment, but if a grown man does so, then he's less than a worm!"
The lad panted, and then slumped to the floor of the cave. "But me? ...heh. I can't even crawl. And now...what can I do?....Being a magician was the only thing I ever wanted...and now all that I've done to get there, you're telling me....you're saying that it's all.....pointless?"
The question hung heavily in the air.
Liam remained silent for a long breath before he once more opened his mouth. "I don't think so."
The lad glanced at him, unconvinced.
"There are many who don't even know the extent of what they can do, or what they want to do in their life. You may have gone about it the wrong way, but no one can deny the intensity of your wish. You wanted to be a magician so much that you confined yourself for so long. There are not many that have such a tenacity of will, or a diligence of the soul." Liam pointed out. "This wish, I will acknowledge it."
"What good is wishing? And what's the use of acknowledgement?" The lad retorted despondently. "Can it make my wish come true?"
"I cannot say that all wishes come true... But, perhaps it depends upon the wish." Liam replied. "Regardless, you will not find what you seek being stuck underground. That being the case, why don't you leave this place? It is possible that the key to fulfilling your wish can be found elsewhere."
"..."
"Do not worry, little one, you can bring your Boukki with you." Liam reassured.
"...do you really think it's out there?" The kid asked. "Do you really think I have any hope left?"
"I've seen bugs that can turn into grass, and boars that live in caves. I've seen men that lived over a hundred years, and slimes that can heal wounds. I've even seen someone turn the most bitter nut I ever tasted into the most delicious sweet. If there are such mysterious things that happen all the time, what's to say that there isn't a way for you to become a magician?" Liam pointed out.
"You are still young. You are still alive. As long as you live and breathe and hope, whose to say you won't find what you're looking for?"
The lad widened his eyes in surprise. Liam's words seemed to penetrate to his inmost core, and nestle there, becoming a warm glow. He nodded.
"All right. I'll come with you."
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After searching the entire house from top to bottom, Keith had to admit he had no idea where Robin and Christian had gone. But, there was also no blood or signs of any sort of a struggle. He had already checked out the front and back doors, too, with no sign of them. Keith slammed his fist against a wooden beam out of frustration.
The vibration reached a nearby mirror, toppling it off its balance as it fell backwards. But then the oddest thing happened. A sword seemed to pierce out from the glass, causing it to shatter to bits as Robin and Christian jumped out of the now-empty frame.
"You are either the all time craziest person I've ever encountered, or you are the most brilliant one!" Christian gasped for breath. "At this point, I can't tell which it is."
Robin shrugged. "Seeing as how the plan worked, I'd say that it was a success, don't you think?"
"Just barely a success though! What if the mirror hadn't fallen over?" Christian pointed out.
"Then we'd have had to run around a bit longer, but the end would have been the same." Robin replied, sheathing her sword.
"We're back, Uncle." She smiled at Keith.
"Robin, I can't tell if I want to hug you or hit you, but don't ever do that again!" Keith said, feeling relieved at the sight of the two.
"If it's something I know about beforehand, then of course I'll let you know." She replied. "Even I was taken by surprise, this time, though."
"Do you have any idea how worried I was?!" Keith asked.
"I can imagine." Robin replied. "Thank you."
"Why are you thanking me?" Keith asked, both confused and mildly amused at her words.
"What I mean is, 'Thank you for worrying about me.' There aren't many that would do that, among those I know." Robin explained.
"Well now you've got a whole group of folks as'd worry about ye if ye were to vanish all of a sudden." Keith said, playfully knocking on Robin's head. "Don't forget it. Also don't make us worry for too long."
Robin rubbed her head. "I'll keep that in mind, uncle." She replied. Suddenly, a voice rang out from the contraption hanging at her belt.
"Hello? Hero Robin? Hello!?"
Robin picked up her magic phone and spoke into the mouthpiece. "Yes? What is it?"
"Did you find the magic beast?" Marin asked
"Yes. It's been dealt with. How about on your end?"
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