Magic (2)

Inside the crystalline cave, Saber could be seen leisurely camping, savoring a meal of rations by the warm glow of a carefully tended campfire. The flickering flames danced across the cave walls, casting an ethereal play of shadows.

Around him, a makeshift tent crafted from the skin of defeated monsters provided a sheltered enclave in the cavern's depths. The eerie ambiance created an unusual juxtaposition with the comfort of the campsite.

"Chomp chomp~ Gobble gobble~ Gulp!"

As Saber relished the taste of the rations, a sense of contentment visible even without a change in his expression.

However, it was not only him.

"Yum! t's been a while since I've had something this good... Mmm~"

Beside him, a mysterious figure wearing a long hooded coat and a mask, that obscure any features that might give away their gender or race, indulged in the meal. The only visible detail was the mouth, as they expressed gratitude between hearty bites. "Whoo~! I never thought I'd miss food like this. Thanks a lot, man..."

"...No problem."

Without altering his stoic demeanor, Saber calmly took a sip of the soup beside him. The glow of the campfire highlighted the scene, emphasizing the camaraderie in this unlikely refuge.

Now, you might be wondering how this happened in the first place.

Let's back ourselves a little bit.

***

(Saber POV)

Earlier...

As the looming threat of falling crystal and debris closed in, I braced myself for the inevitable with closed eyes.

...How will I be able to defeat someone that can use magic? I pondered to myself, I've never defeated, let alone, fought someone with magic before. It'll be my first time.

Although I know how to use magic, I can't be too sure of myself since I don't know much about the opponent's main elements.

The only thing I know is that the magic he used earlier feels quite different than wind magic. Usually, I'll feel a slight breeze to indicate that it is created by a wind. Instead, earlier, it was purely made out of... Mana? I can't be sure.

Whatever the case, I'm going to die anyway... I can think about this later after I get back.

The anticipation lingered, and I soon found myself wondering about the ticking seconds.

...Hey, isn't it taking a bit too long? How much time do I have left? Ugh, can we get this over with already!!?

"Ugh...."

A groan escaped as I tried to move. Paralyzed and unable to open my eyes, my frustration slowly grew.

I wasn't sure why, but, for some reason, I couldn't open my eyes.... Great, now I'm stuck here without being able to move an inch of my body, can't speak, nor could I see a thing.

A couple of minutes passed by...

When the hell am I going to die? I'm starting to get bored... I want to respawn and defeat the monster who caused this, damn it!

Few more minutes later...

...This is the longest moment in my whole life. It's even longer than the time I waited for my GB downloads to finish.

Although I'm quite thankful that I'm dying painlessly with a strange feeling rejuvenating, when will this be over?

"Just let me respawn already...!"

...Wait, my voice is back?

Not long after this realization, I managed to make my fingers twitch. Confusion set in as I questioned, "How the...?" Slowly opening my eyes, a blurry figure stood before me. Unlike the monstrous creatures I encountered back then, this figure appeared more human, sparking my perplexity.

"You're finally awake?"

A peculiar voice, a blend of femininity and cool stiffness, reached my ears. The mask obscured the person's face, leaving their gender a mystery.

Glancing around, it was just the two of us at a modest camp, a single tent indicating solitary habitation. Without needing confirmation, I inferred that this person was my savior.

...However, how did he defeated the monster while carrying me around?

My guard is typically up, but the fact that my ability didn't activated mean that this person is not a threat to me in some way.

"....."

"....."

Awkward silence enveloped us. The masked figure focused on creating a campfire, gathering sticks and igniting them.

Breaking the tension, he spoke with a cool tone. "My name's Otuko, what's yours?" His gaze shifted toward me.

Although hesitant, I told him, "I'm.... You can call me Saber."

"Saber...? That's a unique name..." His reaction was slightly confusing. Unique? It's yours that sound unique!

Hesitant but willing, I replied, "I'm... You can call me Saber."

"Saber...? That's a unique name..." His reaction was puzzling; unique? Your name sound more unconventional!

"So... How did you—"

Growl~!

"...!!"

The sound of his growling stomach reverberated through the area.

"....."

".....Uh...."

Silence lingered for a moment before Otuko cleared his throat, admitting, "I haven't really eaten anything for a while now..."

The way he sounds like sounded genuine. Even with masked on, it was blatantly obvious that he was embarrassed.

"...I have some rations. Want some?"

...

..

.

Now, going back to the beginning...

"Your name is Otuko, right?"

Biting into a piece of meat, he answered while chewing. "Mmm~ Yeah!"

I glanced in his direction and asked, "Can I ask where you are from...?"

He stopped eating and turned to me. After swallowing, Otuko responded while wiping the sauce from his lips.

"I'm from the city 'Mou'he'," he said, leaning his back against the crystal behind him. "Although it's quite far from the capital city, it usually attracts tourists because of the beautiful beach it has and unique culture... Surely, you must have heard about it."

Mou'he...? That's weird... Why wasn't it mentioned in the novel?

Confused, I shook my head. "No... I haven't."

"Wait, really?" Otuko looked quite surprised. Clearing his throat, he thought for a bit. "It's a place that is not only popular but also a good spot for training...!" He says proudly, breaking away from his cool facade.

He realized this and calmed down before continuing, "Because it's a big island, you can either take a boat or a plane to get there. Though, some use portals to get there..."

"I see..."

From my understanding, it seems like this guy is telling the truth, but... Huuuuuuuhh??

"Wait, what did you just say?" I promptly turned to him and dropped the soup bowl I was holding.

Blinking his eyes a couple of times, Otuko said, "...I'm from Mou'he...?"

"Not that part...!"

"It's a big island, so you have to take a boat or plane—"

"That! What do you mean by plane?"

A plane....! How did he know about it when it never existed in this world?

Confused, Otuko tilted his head to the side and replied, "I obviously meant the plane that can fly... What the hell are you on about?"

He really meant that... Shaking my head, I looked at him intensely, "Are you... No, did you perhaps get summoned from this world?"

His mouth opened widely. It took him a couple of seconds before he formed a reply, "Summoned? What summoned? This ain't a novel, ya know."

"Tell me... Are you from Japan? It's usually japanese people that often get summoned or isekai'd out of nowhere..."

"Japan? Do I look that old? Just because I'm wearing a mask... That country had long vanished hundreds of years ago!"

Both of us were confused by each other's answers. However, our minds were saying the same exact thing.

'What is this guy on about?'

"Japan vanished... Wait, no! Let me tell you something important!"

Grabbing his shoulders, Otuko let out a "cute" yelp, flustered. I looked at him straight, as if I was peering through his mask to look directly into his eyes.

"About that... Outside this place, planes didn't exist. Cars and other modern technology haven't been developed yet."

He had a late reaction, which somehow made it funny. Once again, the cool facade he had temporarily disappeared. "What...!!?? What do you mean!?"

"I'm not sure, but... It's either you got stuck here for a long period of time, and the world outside regressed, or you are from another world," I responded.

He thought for a bit before saying, "No way... I only got stuck here for a month! Plus, I didn't get summoned. If I was, I would have known since I'd be able to feel even a slight fluctuation of mana."

Is this guy from a parallel earth?

I was about to say something when he spoke up, "I guess... I guess that explains why I can't find the exit after I cleared this place." He sighed deeply in contempt.

"...?"

Thanks to this, I got an idea. "Hey, what did this place look like on the outside?" His head turned back as he pondered for a quick second before answering.

"Like a scraped space... It looks like the usual dungeon from my world." His eyes squinted as he stared at the dancing fire in front of him.

Scraped space...? Dungeon...? Is his world really a parallel Earth? Wait, no... He said that Japan there had vanished hundreds of years ago. There's a possibility that he was from the future.

It became silent after that.

We were both trying our hardest to come up with an answer.

"...!!"

It was then; I had an idea.

"You mentioned that you can't find the exit, right?"

He slowly lifted his head and turned to me. "...hmm? Why?"

"To get you out of here, I can only think of one thing."

Although hesitant, Otuko asked anyway. "What is your plan?" His hands clenching the dirt on the ground.

"You mentioned that you're the only person here, and the monsters have already been cleared, right?" I swallowed up my saliva as I waited for him to say something.

"Yeah..." His brows raised as he listened carefully to what I was about to say next.

"This might sound absurd, but I need to kill you..."