Morning had finally truly arrived. The sky opened wide, sunlight sweeping away every trace of the night's darkness. The dew began to disappear slowly.
Now, there were no more sounds of battle. No more suffocating pressure. What remained… were only three people.
Rena stood, still facing north, calm and still holding the same pose.
Even so—
Even though it was too long.
Even though it looked excessive to most people—but clearly, for Rena, it was the opposite.
Her body couldn't be tired. Her breathing was definitely stable…
but there was only one thing different.
The way she controlled herself.
Even without being mentioned, it was clearly visible from the aura around her that couldn't be explained with mere words. Likewise, what was visible in her eyes: very sharp, yet on the other hand, shining brightly, like a mirror reflecting sunlight. They would never dim, unless the clouds themselves covered them.
Meanwhile, Claire furrowed her brows slightly. Her eyes didn't leave Rena. Her tone was low.
We finally won…
But even so… why did all of this happen?
Not out of fear, but out of confusion. As if what she saw… was hard to believe—that everything that had just happened was done by a magic school student who chose to become a knight.
A role that no one was even interested in anymore.
A role that had long been abandoned.
And the very strong influence of the otherworldly heroes.
At least, that's what Tina knew about the Lionia Kingdom—
a kingdom she had lived in long before Rena was even born…
On the other side, Tina was also silent. But her reaction was different. She didn't speak immediately. Her gaze was sharp. As usual, she covered her mouth with her right hand, even muttering softly—too soft to be heard.
Though she said nothing, her facial expression showed a hint of admiration.
Then finally, Tina reflected. Her gaze returned to the sword that had pierced the flesh lump, now completely gone. Her lips parted slightly as she thought to herself.
Normally, magic… at least takes form from something. From a chant.
Then Tina glanced briefly at the staff in her left hand, her brows slightly furrowed.
Even if the chant isn't spoken, at least there's a flow of mana that forms and turns into something desired.
Then Tina tried to calm herself, even though she still couldn't believe it, her face shadowed.
But this case… is different.
Throughout the entire fight, I didn't see any mana flow or anything happening to Rena at all… and only Rena knows that the effect actually worked.
Meanwhile, Hero Claire—who had only heard about all this from Anna—could only swallow slowly. Starting from Rena's determination, to the strange magic like neutralization magic and accelerated recovery.
Seeing all of this frustrated Hero Claire—even for a hero who was too used to squinting and thinking she already knew everything.
And finally, Hero Claire realized that this time, she had no idea something like this even existed at all.
Finally, Hero Claire, with sharp eyes staring at Rena, muttered.
Then I need to find out…
I can't anymore…
For a moment, Hero Claire fell silent. This time, her right hand opened wide, and her cheeks lifted.
I can't close myself off anymore!!
With that, Hero Claire slowly approached Tina, and when she was now close to Rena, she spoke loudly.
Rena…
What actually happened??
Hearing that, Rena's eyes glistened as she looked toward Hero Claire. Both her hands seemed hesitant—whether to put them into her large robe pockets or leave them out. Then Rena spoke with calm words, different from the expression happening on her face.
Oh, that…
Of course I can explain.
For a moment, Rena shed tears as she turned her gaze back north.
But…
Why is it… still so tight??
Hearing that, Hero Claire was startled and fell silent for a moment, unable to say anything, her face shadowed.
And now, the three of them—three humans—stood at different distances from each other. Not because they wanted to stand apart, but because on some level, they were each asking themselves what they were actually doing, and questioning themselves.