Chapter 16

I knew my mental power had to be at its peak. I was so focused that I could no longer maintain my invisibility spell, but I figured no one on the ground had time to look up. Standing on such a tall rooftop, I had the darkness of night to conceal me.

I couldn't maintain this state for long. I quickly summoned the fire elements, fiery and brilliant, their bright orange-red forms whirling before my eyes. I arranged them into shape, placing them one by one on the mech's energy nodes. The giant mech was still moving, but its movements now seemed infinitely slower, not only because the captain of the Shield of the New Star was doing everything he could to stop it, but also because of my concentration. I could take in every detail at a glance. Under my control, the fire elements responded joyfully to my mental power, swirling into a row of burning runes that lit up in sequence. Though they were too small for anyone to notice, every detail was crystal clear in my vision, and I could ensure that every stroke was flawless. The blazing flames quickly melted their way into the mech's metal surface, and the runes took shape.

Those few tenths of a second consumed more mental power than an entire night of fighting. By the time I finished writing, I was slightly dizzy, and the scene before my eyes flickered between dark and light, just like my phone screen had when water got into it. The Mind Link also wavered slightly. Just as I thought I might be about to have an intimate encounter with the rooftop, a pair of arms caught me.

It was Mel. He appeared behind me in an instant, having pinpointed my location through the Mind Link. His shadow caught me as I was about to fall and eased me back against him, while his invisibility spell concealed us both.

"Xipei!" He helped me sit down. I caught my breath, but the dizziness wouldn't stop, so I had to lean against his shoulder. Even then, everything still swayed slightly before my eyes. I turned my head and saw in Mel's eyes that my own had turned bright silver.

I closed my eyes for a moment, and when I opened them again, the silver glow of intense mental concentration gradually faded, returning my irises to their usual blue-gray. I wasn't quite so dizzy anymore, either.

Then Mel's eyes curved into two smiling crescents.

"Xipei, you were amazing! Those runes were so tiny, but you wrote them so steadily and quickly!" Mel let me lean against him while he rested his chin on my shoulder. His hands were still bound by the anti-magic shackles, so he couldn't put his arms around me at all and could only support me with his chin. He said joyfully, "It's all right now, Xipei. Your runes were written so beautifully, and they were incredibly powerful. They corroded that critical point in less than half a second. And using mental power to control the elements and burn runes into an object from a distance-Xipei, your control is truly unmatched."

His words made me smile too, and the guilt in my heart eased considerably at the sound of his cheerful voice.

"It was also thanks to our practicing that rune before. You were the one who suggested we try writing it then," I said, quite happily.

That ancient dark mage's rune we had only just learned had come in handy so soon.

We had caused a tiny bit of damage to the giant mech's energy circuit. Compared with its enormous body, the final damage left by the small runes was less than a few centimeters across, thanks to Mel's Absolute Protection keeping it controlled. Even if the mech were seized and sent to an engineer for inspection, the most they would conclude was that a circuit had shorted out and burned.

In those few moments, the mech on the ground had already been disabled. The Federation Corps was cutting it apart without holding back, separating its cockpit from its engine so that it could no longer self-destruct. The battle was drawing smoothly to a close. We were on the rooftop, and I was half-reclining on the ground while Mel directed his shadow to carefully tidy the hair the night wind had just mussed. He wasn't looking down at the ground at all, so I couldn't see the details clearly either. Still, I figured there was nothing left to worry about. We had already taken down the biggest one, and the two outstanding ladies and the captain who could use battle qi should be able to handle the rest perfectly.

Hmm... If I got the chance, I really wanted to meet that lady in the mech who practiced both magic and martial arts.

Mel's warmth came from behind me, and I couldn't help shivering. By comparison, I only then realized the evening breeze was a little cold against my face. I was wearing only a shirt, and I had left in such a hurry that I hadn't remembered to use a temperature-regulating spell. Now that I could feel Mel's body heat, I noticed that the tip of my nose was cold and that I was shivering a little.

So I asked, "Mel, we can go back now, right?" I missed the soft floor and cozy blankets in our cell so much.

Mel nodded. "Yes, let's go back and rest. Don't move, Xipei. I'll use a teleportation spell. I found the anchor point you left. You have barely any mental power left, so get some proper rest."

As he spoke, his shadow supported me. He pressed close beside me, and the teleportation spell enveloped us both. Mel's teleportation was efficient and stable, and in the blink of an eye, we were back in our comfortable, cozy cell.

"Quick, Xipei, lie down and go to sleep!" Mel said, tucking me under the covers. The pillow felt so comfortable that I let out a long sigh. Mel gave me some water, then climbed in and lay down beside me. I had wanted to say something about what had just happened, but he immediately shushed me and stared at me sternly, demanding that I close my eyes.

...Well, I had overdrawn my mental power a little, but it wasn't that serious. Judging by Mel's stern expression, I almost thought I had misjudged things and was about to become an idiot from overusing my mental power. That was indeed possible; sometimes, when mages overdrawn their mental power, it caused permanent brain damage. But unless it was something extremely serious, what mage would do something so reckless? Usually, only a major crisis, like losing one's country and family, might be worth a mage sacrificing their mental power for, right? In my current condition, all I really needed was a good sleep and I'd be completely fine. Mel was worrying a little too much.

I had barely shown any intention of arguing when I saw Mel frown. From the look of it, if I didn't go to sleep, he would simply cast an unconsciousness spell on me.

All right. I smiled and had no choice but to close my eyes. Mel lay close beside me, and I could hear his gentle breathing, his warm breath falling against my cheek.

Hmm... The floor was soft, and the pillow and blankets were fluffy too...

Almost as soon as I closed my eyes, I fell asleep.

Chapter 16

Hmm... That was such a comfortable sleep...

When I woke up, Mel was still lying beside me. He had clearly been awake much longer than I had, but he had stayed still so he wouldn't wake me. He was staring at the ceiling, where droplets of water kept falling. But there was Absolute Protection over the place where we lay, so not a single drop landed on me.

When he saw that I was awake, Mel's ears visibly reddened. He immediately sat up, and the room, which had seemed to be raining, instantly became dry and pleasant again. He withdrew Absolute Protection, and a shadow, awakened by the Shadow Dance Spell, brought over the meal on the table.

Under my puzzled gaze, the blush on Mel's ears slowly spread to his face. He said, "I practiced the way you used the elements to write runes yesterday, but I ended up getting water all over the room..."

The room did look a little messy. Somewhat embarrassed, Mel grabbed at his hanging hair a couple of times, then squeezed and wrung it out. Half his hair was dripping wet, and he looked as though he had been thoroughly drenched, while I was perfectly dry. I found it funny, but at the same time, an immense warmth filled my chest.

I understood at once. That little shower was the result of Mel trying and failing to write runes on the ceiling with water elements. But writing a tiny rune took very few elements, hardly enough for them to take on a tangible physical form. For him to have made it rain all over the room, Mel's perseverance was truly something I could learn from.

When I said nothing, Mel stole a glance at me from the corner of his eye. He looked so much like an anxious apprentice caught secretly practicing his teacher's magic that I couldn't help laughing, and I had a strong urge to ruffle his hair.

With the anti-magic shackles in the way, I couldn't do that for now.

I had noticed it last night: Mel had a very... very cute side. Although, for an illustrious legendary archmage, this might sometimes make him seem less than dignified and composed-uh, to be honest, collapsing into his arms after exhausting myself hadn't been very dignified either—but... as Mel, he really was... really was very cute! He occasionally showed a carefree side, and that radiant look was full of the confidence of a high-level mage. That brilliance... really made it hard to look away.