abcnovels
Chapter 64
Chapter 64: To You, Who are Like the Sun (2) [Caught Upto Raws]
“Really… you’re amazing…”
“…”
Abel collapsed on the ground and looked up at the night sky.
His mind was a mess, and he couldn’t comprehend his own feelings. All he knew was that tears wouldn’t stop flowing.
Even though it was to save Lily, he pointed his sword at a friend he deeply admired. It’s an unforgivable act.
In the end, he couldn’t save anything.
All that’s left for him is nothing──
“Don’t irritate me too much, Abel?”
“…Eh?”
Luke’s voice was laced with quiet anger.
“You challenged me to a duel, yet you didn’t truly desire victory. There was some hesitation, wasn’t there?”
“…”
It was spot on.
Abel had been hesitating all along.
He wanted to save Lily.
But he didn’t want to hurt Luke.
He was constantly tormented by this dilemma.
Probably, even if Abel had managed to defeat Luke, he would never have been able to kill him.
“If you want to beat me, risk everything. Fool.”
It felt like he could see right through him.
With that, Luke turned on his heel, as if there was nothing more to say.
“Luke!”
Abel called out to stop him.
“…What?”
Luke turned around with a clearly displeased look.
Abel understood painfully well.
The words he was about to say were too convenient. Yet, he couldn’t help but cling to that excessively bright light.
But Luke was unaware of the circumstances.
Therefore, he reluctantly responded, feeling a sense of unease towards something unknown.
“…Can you… help me?”
“──”
At that moment.
Luke was struck by a strong sense of duty.
(What is this feeling…)
It was fortunate for Abel that this place was the Gilbert family’s territory, “Gilbadia.” Moreover, many influential nobles were currently gathered here.
If any problem arose now, it could tarnish the reputation of the Gilbert family. That’s why Luke was considering lending a hand to Abel.
However──
(…Right now, here, I feel this irresistible sense of duty to say ‘this line’… It really makes me painfully aware that there is a definite ‘story’ at play in this world.)
Being compelled by something other than himself was not something Luke would normally allow. …That should be the case, yet strangely, he felt it might be alright to comply this time
(Is he… expecting something? From me…?)
Even if just a little, Luke was looking forward to how Abel would respond to this line.
“──Abel”
Therefore, with a smile, he called out Abel’s name.
“What will you give me in return?”
“…”
And then, he asked.
“I might help you. But what will you give me in return?”
“…What can I… give to Luke…”
In Abel’s eyes, the boy before him literally had everything. What could he possibly offer──
“──”
But surprisingly, the answer came to him quickly.
Because he had been watching all along, Abel knew. He knew what Luke, who had everything, lacked.
“I know… I know what you truly desire…”
From the moment they met, Abel was inexplicably drawn to him. To his overwhelming strength, to his absolute power that could protect everything. But that’s exactly why he understood what Luke was seeking.
“──A worthy rival.”
“…”
In Abel’s eyes, Luke was overwhelmingly strong. But he also seemed to be holding back his power. That’s why──
“──I’ll be that. I’ll become the rival that makes you fight with all your might.”
Determination shone in Abel’s eyes. His words held no deceit. He was truly saying he would become Luke’s worthy rival.
“Kukuku… Ahahahaha!!”
Luke laughed.
It was a laugh full of genuine amusement.
“What a masterpiece. You, becoming my worthy rival? You’ve become good at making people laugh, Abel. ──But, it’s interesting.”
Abel’s words certainly shook Luke’s heart.
The first thing he felt was the fear of defeat. That fear became the driving force behind his craving for unfathomable power. However, the more he trained, the more he realized something.
──It was becoming boring.
The more power he acquired, the more colorless the world seemed to become. Before he knew it, fighting with self-imposed limits had become the norm.
Thus, deep down, he had been longing for it. A rival with whom he could fight using all his might.
“Let’s consider it a deal then. ──Though, I’m not expecting much.”
“Eh, so then…”
“I’ll help you. Hurry up──”
“Thank you!! Luke!!”
“…Ugh. Get off, it’s disgusting.”
An overwhelmed Abel hugged Luke, expressing his gratitude. Then, he recounted the events: the attack by the remnants of a mercenary group and Lily’s abduction. There might be an unknown woman monitoring them.
After hearing everything, Luke said──
“Is that all?”
“…Eh?”
He reacted as if it was just another ordinary day, without any surprise.
“──Dark Magic Sensing”
Mercenaries, remote surveillance.
He quickly pieced it together.
The person monitoring them was the same one who observed them during their destruction of the mercenary group’s hideout.
The surveillance wasn’t a concern. When Luke had previously interacted with Nicole, he had refined his “Dark Blessing” making surveillance impossible.
Then, what’s next? Luke used a combination of dark magic and magical sensing to search for that magic power over a vast area.
“It’s closer than I thought. ──Wings of Darkness”
Luke soared into the sky at an astonishing speed. Abel could only stand there, dumbfounded by the rapidly changing situation.
“Luke, are you really──eh?”
Then, a roaring sound echoed from afar.
After a while of focusing on that direction──
“Here, is this good enough?”
Luke returned with a dark sphere.
The sphere slowly descended to the ground, revealing two unconscious people. One was a woman, presumably the main culprit, and the other was──
“Lily!! I’m sorry… really sorry… I’m glad you’re safe… really glad…”
She was unconscious but alive and unharmed.
It couldn’t have been better.
The rescue was incredibly anticlimactic.
(It really was… “just that.”)
What Abel had despaired over as hopeless, Luke handled effortlessly with a mere wave of his hand.
(…That’s just it, isn’t it?)
Abel thought.
(He’s impossibly cool and someone to aspire to──)
Luke was like the sun.
“Do whatever you want with that woman. As for me──what the… huh?”
Feeling a familiar immense magical power, he turned around and saw a gigantic ice pillar. Moreover, it was in the direction of his own mansion.
“…Today is a bad day.”
Saying this, Luke started walking.
Sighing wearily at the thought of the trouble that must be brewing.
“Thank you!! Luke!! Really!! Thank you so much!!”
Abel shouted out. He had a lot to say, but for now, he wanted to express all his gratitude.
Hearing those words, Luke stopped but did not turn back.
“…Come at me anytime. I’ll prove it, that I am the strongest.”
“Yeah, I’ll catch up. ──No, I’ll surpass you.”
Without responding to Abel, Luke started walking again.
“Nobody truly believes they can reach the ‘sun’ and extend their hand towards it… But I can’t help but reach out──”
Those words, spoken to no one in particular, were Abel’s resolve and determination.
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[Afterword]
Indeed, I reconsidered and decided this was the right moment to depict the second encounter of Luke vs. Abel.
I had planned to write it eventually…
To all the readers who have read this, thank you very much!
The next chapter will finally start the Empire arc, so please look forward to it…!
TLN:
That’s all. The raws were last updated on July 31, 2023.josei
Thank you all for reading.