NOVEL NEXT Chapter 14 - End of Volume 1
――― Just before Jin’s return.
With Jin and the creature suddenly gone, Mea stood frozen in place, dumbfounded.
“W-What in the world… Was that just [Teleportation]? But Jin-sama shouldn’t be capable of teleporting without a gate yet.”
Although she denied the recent phenomenon with her words, the absence of Jin was a clear and undeniable proof. Furthermore…
『Oh, my… To drag that creature into his own space at his age… What a splendid talent.』
『”And his manipulation of magic power is flawless. It seems he’s capable of putting effort into his endeavors as well~』
Even the spirits who understood magic better than anyone else acknowledged it. If that was the case, Mea had no choice but to acknowledge it as well. However, her heart was far from calm.
‘Why didn’t I notice… What Jin-sama was attempting, how much magic he could use. And to let my emotions drive my attacks… At that moment, I should have taken Jin-sama and escaped. This makes me unworthy of being Jin-sama’s maid…’
Mea bit her lip until it bled. Her hands were tightly clenched, blood dripping from them.
Seeing her in such a state, the surrounding spirits tried their best to console her, but their efforts fell on deaf ears.
‘What should I do from here on? Should I reverse trace Jin-sama’s magic and intrude into that space? No, if I were to do that, who knows what might happen… What should I do?’
The ones who pulled her back from her sea of thoughts to reality were the higher spirits who had been evaluating Jin earlier.
『Rest assured, Elf. That little rascal won’t fall behind against opponents of that level. 』
『Oh, indeed~ To put it mildly, he seems capable of easily annihilating them~』
“…Huh? Is Jin-sama really that strong?”
Mea asked in surprise. She herself was confident that she could defeat that creature in a serious battle without worrying about her surroundings. However, she knew she couldn’t annihilate it instantly, and there was no doubt that it would be a tough fight.
To hear that Jin, who was much smaller and less experienced than herself, could annihilate such a formidable enemy was startling. It was understandable that she would ask for clarification.
『Indeed. He’s no mere little rascal. Anyway, Elf, what is your name?』
“Uh, I’m Mea.”
Mea spoke with a hint of nervousness. Elves revered spirits like gods, so it was natural for her to feel tense. But the spirit spoke to her with a laugh.
『Hahaha! There’s no need to be so stiff! Well then, Mea-chan, did you say that little rascal’s name is Jin?』
“Yes.”
『I see. Jin, your master… It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that he already possesses power on par with us higher spirits.』
“I-Is that so…?”
‘Indeed. If we were to fight him seriously… I would likely be defeated.’
‘I wouldn’t stand a chance either. If anyone could easily defeat him, it would probably be the Spirit King or something.’
The words of the fire and water higher spirits left Mea wide-eyed in astonishment.
‘Th-That much power in Jin-sama… When did he… He must have been hiding it from me…’
Seeing Mea stunned by the revelation and feeling as though she’d been indirectly told she wasn’t trusted, the fire higher spirit laughed heartily and playfully patted her shoulder.
『Hahaha!! Don’t make such a serious face! Every man has something they want to keep a secret! So let’s take it easy, perhaps while enjoying some fruit!』
『My, that’s a good point, but it’s unusual coming from you~』
『Indeed, indeed… Wait, are you mocking me, you rascal!?』
『Ahahaha!! No way, I wouldn’t do that~』
『Tch… Go to hell, you old hag!!』
『Oh! You just used a forbidden word! I won’t stand for being insulted by a pathetic loser like you!!』
『You’re going to lose to that human too!! You’re just good at running your mouth, old hag!!』
『Aaah!! You said it again!! I won’t forgive you anymore!!』
『That’s my line!!』
The argument between the two heated up, and they even began to attempt to cast spells at each other.
However, Mea hadn’t even registered the noisy bickering of the two higher spirits. She had clasped her hands together, closed her eyes, and was fervently praying for Jin’s safety.
(―――Please come back soon, Jin-sama… I’ll apologize as much as you want afterward!!)
In reality, it was because of Mea’s hasty attack that she had dragged Jin into this situation. She took responsibility for her actions.
At that moment of determination―――
“―――Darniiiit!! I messed up the coordinates!!”
Jin’s voice echoed from above as he descended from the sky.
–
“―――Don’t be reckless like that!! Do you know how worried I was… Well, I suppose it’s mostly my fault for impulsively launching an attack driven by emotions…”
“N-No… I’m sorry.”
I tried to make an excuse, but seeing Mea’s genuinely angry expression, I ended up apologizing sincerely.
Just a while ago, Mea had saved me from crashing straight into the ground, and now I was receiving a scolding from her. Admittedly, I had skipped quite a bit of explanation this time around, so I had no room to defend myself.
“Sigh… As long as you’re safe… But please try not to worry me like that again, okay?”
“…I’m really sorry.”
“No, it’s mainly my fault for acting recklessly, so I apologize for my thoughtless behavior as well.”
As Mea said this and was about to lower her head to the ground, I hurriedly, and at an almost superhuman speed, stopped her.
“N-No, no, it’s really completely fine! I’m not bothered at all, so lift your head!!”
I mean, it’s my fault for causing her to worry!
And it’s a lifelong shame for an otaku to make their favorite character worry!
What kind of reparation should I offer… like, should I die?
No, dying is definitely not an option, and it’s scary, plus I wouldn’t be able to see Mea anymore, so that’s out.
Then, “…Would you feel better if you saw my true power?”
“Yes?”
“No, I mean… Would you feel better if you saw my true power?”
When I said that, Mea’s expression seemed momentarily caught off guard, but she soon relaxed her expression and smiled with a hint of joy.
“I’ll forgive you on that condition. However, no more secrets, alright, Jin-sama?”
That smile of hers was so stunningly beautiful and impactful that no amount of lifetimes would be enough to forget it.
Hi, this chapter marks the end of volume 1. I might start locking chapters from next volume because I’ve yet to earn even 1cent from this and… I really need to get my own wifi if I want to continue translating ehem. The chapters won’t cost more than 1-2 star keys so don’t worry haha.