Chapter 119: Front, Bam

By the time I woke up from my nap, Otou-sama had come to pick us up, and it was time to go home.

“I onwy goth tho pway a withthwe bith!” (I only got to play a little bit!) I got angry, and Nico looked at me pitifully.

“Lei, quickly grow up. We could have played if you didn’t nap. Climbing trees is fun.”

What?! I looked at Nico, Nii-sama and Gill as if I couldn’t believe them. Nii-sama and Gill averted their eyes awkwardly.

“Cwimbing threesh! Onwy Nico!”

“You can’t climb trees anyways.”

“I can! I can!”

Hasn’t it been decided that I can climb? I can climb on the heads of Rug Dragons.

“Argh, I’m going home!”

Starting tomorrow is the weekend, so I’ll climb trees with Nii-sama at home. Nico spoke to me while I was still angry, “Lei.”

Argh. Don’t call me such a lonely voice.

“See you thomorrow, I mean, nexth weew.”

“Yeah! See you next week.”

I found myself in Otou-sama’s arms and waved at the smiling Nico. We can’t end the day with a quarrel. Isn’t it sad to recall an angry or sad face after separating?

“Tree cwimbing. Tree cwimbing,” I sang, and Otou-sama, Nii-sama and Natalie watched me in amusement. Gill went home in his own carriage, and he looked bored.

“Gill and I won’t come for a week even if you’re looking forward to it.”

“Nii-syama, thomorrow!”

I never thought about climbing trees until now, and I didn’t see any trees with branches at home, but it’s vast, so there should be a tree I could climb.

“But, isn’t that dangerous for you, Lei?”

“Luke.”

Otou-sama shook his head at Nii-sama.

“It’s better that she climbs trees where we can see her instead of climbing on the heads of the Rug Dragons when we’re not looking.”

“Huh? Did Lei do that?”

“Uh-.”

I looked out the carriage. Nii-sama sighed in amazement and warned me, “Make sure someone can see you when you practice climbing trees.” This means okay.

“Ai!”

That’s a good answer for me. But, it’s a secret that Hans couldn’t prevent me from climbing the Rug Dragons even when he was watching me.

Then, we happily went home, had a fun dinner, and later gathered in Otou-sama’s room.

“We managed to suppress His Highness’s recklessness.”

“Yes. I carelessly said that I could do it.”

Otou-sama and Nii-sama reflected.

“But, I was shocked when he asked why the Hollows resonated with us.”

“Did he say something like that?”

Otou-sama, you’re mentioning him in a disrespectful way.

“I think it’s good that we can connect the resonation of Hollows with projecting our magic out of our bodies. It’s not just us, the hunters in Frontier also understand this with their bodies, and Lei learnt it when she was in Frontier.”

“But, they didn’t think their magic would resonate with other people. Why would they need to do something like that in the first place?”

“You’re right. But, Otou-sama…”

“What?”

Nii-sama stared at Otou-sama.

“Lei and I noticed it straight away. Our magic has resonated with each other’s before, hasn’t it?”

“… At the barrier?”

“Yes.”

I also nodded.

“Then, does this mean that Hollows are expanding barriers out of their bodies?”

“But then, why would they need to?”

“Hmm.”

It’s a difficult question.

“Howwowsh become magic shthonesh.”

“That’s right.”

“We become magic shthonesh?”

“We won’t. That’s impossible.”

Nii-sama answered my question, then muttered, “People with magic don’t change into magic stones, but Hollows change into magic stones no matter how weak the person they absorb is. Why is that?”

“They don’t have a body, but perhaps their magic is incredible.”

“That’s why they naturally dispel that magic out of their bodies, and it resonates with our bodies…”

“Then why don’th you thry expewwing a woth of magic?” (Then why don’t you try expelling a lot of magic?)

Otou-sama and Nii-sama looked at me.

“Magic thhath ishn’th changed intho a barrier.”

“Are you saying we should try expelling pure magic out of our bodies?”

“Ai.”

If you do that, then you may be able to interfere with other people’s magic a little.

We fell silent. We were each thinking about different things. But, when we looked at each other again, the words that came out of Otou-sama’s mouth were, “Shall we try it?” If Linus were here, he might have stopped us by saying, “That’s why the Albans are…” But, each of us was an Albans.

“We won’t know until we try it.”

“Ai.

It was decided that we would try.

“Lei can mawe a barrier. Lei wiww thry.”

“Hmm. I thought you or Luke would be the one who projects your magic out. Then, Otou-sama will receive the magic.”

“Otou-sama…”

“The receiver is probably the one in the most danger. Adults should do it.”

Nii-sama looked like he wanted to do it, but Otou-sama stopped him.

I faced Otou-sama on the bed, and sat as close to him as I could.

“No change intho barrier. Tawe outh jushth ash ith ish.”

Instead of expanding it into a circle around me, I sent it straight at Otou-sama.

“Here goesh.”

“Hmm.”

Magic formed in front of me, then bam.

“Gah, bah.”

Otou-sama slowly fell back.

“Otou-sama!”

“Otou-syama!”

We clung to Otou-sama.

“I, I’m fine,” Otou-sama managed to reply weakly, then gently hugged the two of us.

“Otou-syama… Sowwy…”

I’m glad. I’m really glad. I was on the verge of tears.

“Lei and Luke, this is bad. We’ve realised something unthinkable.”

“What the hell happened?! I could see the magic, but what happened!? Why did you fall all of a sudden?!”

Nii-sama yelled at Otou-sama.

“Wait a minute. Calm down a bit, oh, don’t cry you two. Otou-sama’s fine.”

I ended up crying because Nii-sama was yelling, and Nii-sama also ended up crying from shock. By the time we were tired from crying and quietened down, Otou-sama had managed to recover.

“Then, the conclusion is…” Otou-sama started talking after he sat back up. Nii-sama and I continued to cling to Otou-sama.

“Well, before that, I want to ask what happened to the magic from the outside.”

“I saw it,” Nii-sama whispered. What did you see?