Report
Chapter 202: The Hooded Girl
“Oh, there she is. But that’s not Abel after all.”
We quickly found the person we were looking for, walking with their back to us.
Mom let go of my hand and charged forward. This side of her definitely reminded me of a larger version of Phe.
“Geez, wandering around on your own instead of hanging out with us! As punishment for leaving us behind, I’m gonna hug you tight!”
With this nonsensical logic, Mom launched herself in a full-on hug tackle.
But I immediately noticed something was “off.”
“Mom, that’s not Abel.”
Though she was similarly small in stature, the clothing was different. Abel doesn’t wear a hood, for one thing.
Under normal circumstances, it’d be impossible to make that mistake.
And yet, there was something about her manner, her presence—that “way of being” that felt so much like Abel. It was such a similar figure that I couldn’t help but think, Well, I can see why she’d get confused.
The girl seemed to turn around to face us.
But just as quickly, she raised her hand to meet Mom’s tackle.
“Ugh…whoa…!”
A gust of wind!? No, that’s not it…!
(The space itself…is shifting!)
It felt like snapping a rubber band—the compressed space bounced us back, almost throwing us aside.
“Kyaaaah!”
“Mom!”
Mom’s figure vanished—she’d been flung away.
There was no way to resist that. It would have impossible to fight against.
The space itself had moved. Creating a magic shield or digging your feet in wouldn’t do anything against that.
When the space you’re standing on is altered, there’s nothing you can do.
And yet—for some reason, I was fine.
Or rather, we were.
“No fair! Pushing Phe and Niita around like that isn’t nice!”
Somehow, Phe had stopped us from being flung back by the spatial distortion.
There was a transparent dome around us, shielding us from the girl’s attack.
It was a spell I had never seen anything like. Jeez, Phe... You’re almost more capable than I think. I can hardly believe it, but I guess it’s safe to say she has found a way to defend against attacks using spatial magic?
(Still…what is this dome?! It’s not just multi-layered; it’s multi-dimensional! How much “distance” and “heft½” are in this one barrier?)
I don’t think Abel taught her anything like this, so either she figured it out herself or her talent alone made this possible.
“Phe won’t forgive anyone who tries to hurt Phe’s Niita!”
While holding up the mysterious dome, Phe cast a spell without any chanting.
It was ancient magic.
A high-powered blast—six, no, seven blasts, stacked together into a single shot. How does she even do this?
“You idiot, Phe! Are you trying to kill her!?”
That blast could probably pierce a mountain. If it hit a person, not even dust would remain.
But Phe’s attack curved smoothly, almost as if sliding along a rail, and disappeared into the distant sky.
“No, Niita. Phe needs more power! Or Phe won’t break through that wall!”
“A wall…? Are you saying there’s a magical barrier?”
I couldn’t see or feel anything.
But Phe wouldn’t lie.
The small figure in front of us finally spoke.
“Why are you attacking me? I’d like to hear your reason before I dispose of you.”
Even after seeing Phe’s display of power, she remained calm. No reaction at all.
She used the word “dispose” as if it were nothing, as if she were prepared to treat us as enemies—and would not hesitate to kill us, children or not.
She must have the strength to back up those words.
She had fended off Phe’s attack effortlessly.
“…You attacked us first, didn’t you?” I said.
“I did…?”
The girl tilted her head in confusion.
“There seems to be a misunderstanding. By what standard am I the one who attacked first?”
“By what standard? You just flung my mom away without warning!”
“Your…mom? You mean the woman who suddenly charged at me?”
Suddenly charged…?
So, she thought of that as an attack?
“She just mistook you for Abel, that’s all.”
“Abel?”
Though her face was hidden by her hood, I could feel her mood darken.
“That girl is hardly the type to open her heart to strangers. Much less allow anyone to touch her. You’ve revealed yourself.”
“No, that’s…”
She’s right about Abel’s personality. Abel doesn’t like people touching her, but our family is an exception.
It seems this girl knows Abel and understands her personality.
Because of that, she dismissed my words as a lie.
“Besides, this is Abel’s garden. We wouldn’t even be able to come here without her bringing us.”
“That girl—”
The hooded figure pointed at Phe.
“That girl uses ancient magic, yes? I find it hard to believe a human child with no connection to the spirits would be able to wield such power. So there can only be one answer: mimicry. You have the ability to disguise yourself as a child. And with that level of power, making it here to the “Sky” would be an easy feat.”
Oh, great. Phe’s uniqueness is being misunderstood in the worst possible way.
Because she suspects we’re lying about our age, she can so easily talk about “disposing” of us.
In this situation, who would believe that we’re just regular human kids?
In her position, I’d be suspicious too.
But I couldn’t leave this misunderstanding unaddressed. I had to find a way to clear up her doubts.
Though I couldn’t see her face under the hood, she was probably an elf. Since she’s acquainted with Abel, fighting isn’t an option.
This girl was an extraordinarily skilled mage. If we fought, things would go very badly.
At the very least, I wouldn’t be able to beat her. I wouldn’t even know how to stop her.
I had to avoid conflict at any cost.
“It’d be wise to reveal your true identity now. I’ll show no mercy to an enemy.”
“I’m telling you, we’re not enemies or assassins! Look into my eyes! Do I look like someone who’s here to deceive you?”
“ I see, so you’re a user of Evil Eye magic? Sorry to disappoint you, but mental interference spells don’t work on me.”
It seemed she was as cautious of me as she was of Phe.
She didn’t believe us at all.
It was hard to convince someone we were ordinary kids given where we were.
The girl looked at me again from under her hood. As she said, magic tricks like “evil eyes” or “charm spells” wouldn’t work on her.
That’s why she was staring directly into my eyes—to see if I’d try something.
“…”
“…”
“…”
“…”
The hooded girl fell silent.
What was wrong? Did she finally realize I was just a kid?
Then she pulled her hood down even further and spoke.
“So you are trying to charm me with that cuteness! How foolish!”
Huh? What…What is she even talking about?
