| Author: Shizuku | Original Source: Syosetu | Word Count: 2554 characters |
| Translator: Nomad | English Source: Re:Library | Word Count: 1175 words |
| Editor(s): Robinxen | ||
Liquid starts to gather in Plum’s hand, and she’s telling me to run, but I won’t abandon my little sister.
“I don’t know what caused this, but I need to stop you from moving at least.”
I take out a ball of Steel Silk from my magic storage and start running. Christina told me Plum doesn’t have the ability to sever and shoot her limbs like me, so restraining her this way should work.
I dodge the liquid as I run, hearing explosions behind me. There’s no fixed points where I could tie the Steel Silk to, so I have no option but to get close and wrap it around her.
I start imbuing the Steel Silk ball with mana to unwind it.
But before I can do anything with it, I see another charge of explosive liquid coming my way.
I let go of the Steel Silk ball and create a barrier, which is almost instantly enveloped in bright flames.
As soon as that ends I jump back. Plum is still standing there, her eyes devoid of any emotion. Since the last explosion had occurred so close to her, and my barrier reflected most of the damage, some of it reached her too, her hands cracked and hanging limply by her side.
“Plum! Are you okay?”
I know she can’t feel pain, but I instinctively reacted seeing her arms in that state. She didn’t seem too bothered though.
“Damage confirmed to intervene with chances of retrieval. Initiating regeneration.”
Plum flings her cracked arms out, almost like she’s trying to send them flying away. At the same time all the nerve threads from her hands, forearms, and upper arms jut out and hang out loosely in the air. The Sorcery Core in her chest starts producing a white mucus… though at closer inspection it was more like white flesh, which swells up and spreads over her shoulders, arms, and hands, moving along her nerve threads.
The mass of flesh takes the shape of hands with four fingers, reaching down to the ground, and covered in some form of glossy liquid, similar to amphibians like frogs or newts. They looked massive compared to Plum’s small frame, that stark imbalance making it look even more creepy.
“It’s getting more dangerous. Sister, please flee.”
“There’s no way I’ll do that!”
Those swollen arms quickly reach for the Steel Silk I dropped earlier, absorbing it as if they were slurping noodles. I’m not sure what’s going to happen with them now, but I’m starting to think dropping them to focus on defending was a bad choice.
“Continuing removal of all obstructions.”
She says that as her new arms form more of that explosive liquid, but her movements are so clumsy I can dodge without much issue.
The liquid travels past me and explodes behind me.
“Kyahh!”
I hear a shout though, so I look around and see Christina there. I can understand that she’s worried, but I don’t want her to get involved.
Plum throws another load of explosive liquid, but this time I shoot at it, detonating it in mid-air. Since her hands are far bigger now, the quantity of explosive liquid she amasses is larger, but her movements are slower so it’s actually easier to deal with.
“Plum! Please stop!”
“Order can’t be executed. It’ll obstruct the main order.”
Plum swings her hands down like hammers, which disperses a white smoke all around, obscuring her from vision.
“Oh no!”
I didn’t expect her to have a smokescreen, and the smoke could be poisonous too.
I create a barrier as soon as I can, but things aren’t looking good1.
The smoke is obstructing my view past the barrier, and I can’t act recklessly since Christina is behind me.
Poison has no effect on me, but things could get ugly if Christina or other students breathe it in2. I could use some wind magic to blow it away, but that could also propagate the effect even more if it’s a powerful toxin.
“Umm, Natalia? Could you try sucking it into your magic storage?”
“Suck it in?”
While I debate what to do, Christina suggests something behind me.
“Yes, um… It would be dangerous if it spread too far, right? Then why don’t you make a vacuum in your magic storage, and then get all the smoke inside to stop it?”
“I see. It’s worth a try.”
A vacuum in my magic storage, huh. I’ve never tried that before, but it doesn’t sound too unreasonable.
That’s essentially the opposite of what I usually do, where I make an opening and then grow space to fit things, and instead I would have to create a large vacuum with no opening, and then open it.
I give it a try, making the opening outside of my barrier, and all the white smoke quickly gets absorbed into my magic storage, like a powerful vacuum cleaner had just been turned on.
Once all the smoke is gone, I realize Plum has also vanished.
I check my magic storage in case I accidentally pulled her together with the smoke, but she’s not there.
While I look around for her, Annabelle and Ruri come out of the research campus.
“Natalia, where’s Plum?”
“She was here just now, but I lost sight of her.”
Annabelle looks at the destruction around me as I reply, and then sighs deeply.
“She wasn’t running berserk. That she won’t listen to her master’s orders means that she’s acting under a command with more authority.”
A magic automaton’s master had the ability of issuing absolute commands. The only time I was subject to one was during my fight with the golem, though I don’t remember anything from that. Back then Ophelia ordered me to sleep, and I did that. Plum should also be following Christina’s orders now, but for some reason she won’t listen.
“I was there when her base memories were constructed, so I know there was no mistake in appointing you as her master. Only the Sorcery Core would have more authority to issue such a command.”
Annabelle sighs again after explaining that.
“I’m sure people will start gathering here soon. I’ll deal with that, you all chase after Plum.”
“But I don’t know where-”
“Ahh, I’ve been hearing some strange footsteps heading away from the Academy, maybe that’s her? We should be able to catch up to her still. I’ll lead the way.”
Ruri’s long ears kept twitching, searching for Plum. As a rabbit half-beast, her auditory senses are better tuned than a regular human’s, so she can easily identify Plum’s footsteps.
We’ll have to rely on her to bring Plum back.
“Umm…Miss Annabelle…”
“Christina, just be ready for the worst case scenario.”
“Okay…”
Annabelle’s voice sounded as unbothered as always, but Christina’s was very weak.
I knew what she meant with the worst case scenario, but I didn’t want to think about that.
Even if Plum still doesn’t have a clear personality, even if she’s running berserk, she’s still my little sister. I’ll save her no matter what3.
