novelraw Chapter 52 : Just Start Over Again
Chapter 52 : Just Start Over Again
Bzzz—
“Rozelite” opened her mouth.
From deep within her throat, a pale-blue tentacle condensed a highly compressed sphere of light, aiming it toward the crowd below. The terrifying surge of mana made even the air feel searing hot.
“Down!”
Clayman shouted.
Almost the instant the words left his mouth, the mana cannon fired.
Boom!
The violent explosion spread like a tidal wave, engulfing the entire guild hall. Even though Russell hadn’t unleashed its full power, the strike was still terrifying.
In moments, the Adventurer’s Guild had become a pile of rubble.
Russell had wanted to avoid killing—after all, slaughtering them wouldn’t solve anything. These people were only following orders. Killing them wouldn’t erase suspicion, only make the road ahead even harder.
But Rozelite had been wounded. That changed everything.
Several figures who had thrown themselves down earlier scrambled back up. More guards poured into the ruins, surrounding Rozelite once more.
“Still coming? Fine, then I’ll finish this here and now—”
“W-Wait, Mr. Slime.”
Rozelite gritted her teeth through the pain.
“I’m fine… let’s just get out of here first…”
“…Alright.”
Russell forced down his seething anger.
With Rozelite’s desperate effort, she finally pulled herself onto the shattered ceiling.
Clayman’s expression darkened, flame gathering in his upraised palm, ready to blast the entire ceiling apart.
But Russell struck first.
【Water Magic lv7】
Boom—!
Water thundered down like a collapsing waterfall, flooding the hall in an instant. The flames he had been conjuring sputtered out.
“Guards!”
Clayman roared.
“Surround the guild from the outside! Don’t let a single insect—”
Bzzz—
Before he could finish, blinding light flared.
To those trying to chase Rozelite, it was as if a sun had erupted before their eyes. Their vision went white, leaving them blind.
【Light Magic lv4】
Russell wasn’t well-versed with this newly gained skill, but its most basic application was simple enough.
Under that glare, no one could lay eyes on Rozelite.
Even Clayman instinctively raised an arm to shield his face.
“Now! Go!”
Russell shouted.
【Stealth lv5】
Rozelite leapt lightly from the roof’s edge, her figure melding into shadow and light, vanishing from sight.
…
…
As the light slowly faded, vision returned.
Rozelite was gone.
Clayman lowered his arm, his gaze sweeping over the wrecked hall, cold as ice. The winter wind poured through the shattered ceiling, chilling everyone to the bone.
“Seal the city. Not a single rat escapes,” Clayman ordered coldly.
“Search vents, sewers, every crevice. She’s been shot; she won’t get far.”
Heavy footsteps rang through the streets. For the first time in years, the silent border city stirred with turmoil.
Everyone knew—something grave had happened.
…
…
Time crept by.
The guards scoured the city, house to house, but Rozelite was nowhere to be found.
By sunset, the air had grown even colder.
Ato City’s gates were locked tight, the atmosphere as grim as the cutting wind.
Crunch—
On the outskirts, where wild weeds grew thick, the ground suddenly bulged upward and split open.
A pale-blue tentacle forced the gap wider. Rozelite, her left sleeve soaked red, dragged herself out of the earth and collapsed heavily into the damp grass, panting harshly.
Her body was smeared with mud that reeked of earth. Her once simple but clean clothes were now filthy, shredded, and clinging tightly to her skin.
Her hair stuck messily to her face and neck, matted with grass and dirt.
“I’ve sealed your wound for now. It’ll take several days to heal,” Russell said, eyes scanning their surroundings. No pursuers.
“We… made it…”
Rozelite gasped, trying to push herself upright.
But her body gave out, her arm buckling, leaving her collapsed back onto the ground—pathetically weak and bedraggled.
She could even feel icy water trickling down her back.
“Was this really necessary?”
Russell asked, staring at her disheveled form but making no move to help.
“At that point, killing everyone in the hall wouldn’t have mattered. Look at you now. How pitiful.”
“Heh…”
Despite her mud-streaked face, Rozelite smiled.
“But, didn’t Mr. Slime say… they might have only been deceived by someone pulling the strings? If we killed them all… wouldn’t we lose any chance to uncover the truth?”
“The truth can’t be faked. A lie can’t be made real,” Russell muttered, shaking his head.
“And besides—”
Rozelite braced her scarred hands, forcing herself upright.
“If we had killed them, wouldn’t Mr. Slime really have become a monster that slaughters innocents? That can’t happen. You and I are partners bound by fate. We’re supposed to support each other and walk forward together. I don’t want people to see you that way.”
“…Childish thinking,” Russell sighed.
“Do you really believe I’d be affected by what others think?”
“It’s not childish!”
Rozelite snapped, cheeks puffed.
“Mr. Slime is a good person! One day, I’ll make sure everyone believes that too!”
“Good person, huh…”
Russell couldn’t help but laugh.
These days, whether being called a “good person” was praise or insult was hard to say.
But in any case, they’d escaped.
A tentacle tapped Rozelite’s head.
【Water Magic lv7】
Cool water, as soft as silk, flowed around her body, washing away the heavy mud and grime.
It cleansed her filth, though not the damp chill of her clothes or the exhaustion carved into her bones.
At least, she could move a little easier now.
“This debt will have to be settled one day. For now, we need to leave,” Russell said.
“Yes, Mr. Slime.”
After resting a while, Rozelite felt some strength return.
She staggered to her feet. Just as she was about to step forward, she remembered something and pulled a small card from her pocket.
Her adventurer’s proof.
“That’s right,” Russell said after a pause.
“Your adventurer’s proof… it’s useless now.”
Rozelite stared at the card, the 【D】 clearly marked on it.
It carried her identity.
If she tried to use it at the guild, it would surely get her captured immediately.
She had worked so hard to climb from E-rank to D-rank. She had just begun to imagine testing her strength. But before she could even settle in, it was already gone.
Facing the cold wind, Rozelite gazed down at the card.
She whispered:
“Who’s behind this? Who’s stopping me from going home? What do they want?”
No answer came.
In the biting wind, Rozelite’s fingers tightened.
She tore the proof into pieces.
Flames rose from nowhere, consuming the fragments, burning them into ash that scattered with the wind.
“It doesn’t matter!”
Rozelite took a deep breath and shouted loudly.
“No matter how dangerous it gets, I won’t be afraid! Because I still have Mr. Slime! As long as we’re together, there’s nothing we can’t overcome!”
“Well said.”
Russell chuckled.
“It’s just starting over, that’s all.”
The frigid wind whipped against her face, stinging her eyes.
But right now, the world felt exhilarating.
“Let’s go, Mr. Slime!”
Rozelite straightened her chest and strode forward with bold steps. On the map, the dotted line showed their path.
—Toward the Labyrinth City, Flemont.