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115. Proof in Ten Days

 

「The Dwarves want to build their own town and live a little apart from humans. To preserve that sense of distance, it’s actually more convenient if Duke Abik becomes the ruler of Vita-Tama.」

That’s why, the moment the Dungeon Break of the Golden Land of Crimson Luxury became inevitable, I sent Shizuku as a messenger. If we could get the information to Duke Abik through someone like Bellman, who understood these nuances, then the rest would move on its own. That was the plan.

「So that’s why you specifically told me to go full speed.」

「Yeah. We had to pass through Bellman first, so time was tight.」

「…In a way, Bellman might deserve top credit for this whole operation.」

「He was the one who figured out that Kirmiji’s skill was a kind of suggestion. It truly was a fine play on his part.」

Shizuku and I both ended up grinning wryly as we recalled that obnoxiously cheerful, loud man. It’s only been a few weeks since we left the village, but somehow it already feels nostalgic.

「But still, you’re amazing, Marge. Seriously. Even after losing your wisdom skill, you thought through all that in that situation…」

「I was just desperate. And… well, I don’t want to blame it on the lack of the wisdom skill, but I really wasn’t at my best.」

「…Did you overlook something?」

She was right. There was one major thing I had overlooked.

「And now, because of that, Angelina and the others are in serious trouble.」

「What do you mean…?」

◆◆◆

Let’s rewind, to just after the defeat of the ‘King’.

『Well, that was the last brilliant moment of my life. I’m satisfied, really.』

「Papa…」

『Smile for me, Geli. We accomplished everything. Fran wanted this too.』

Lord Emesmes had little time left after the battle. His golden chains were faint and fragile, clearly on the verge of vanishing. I thought he would prefer to say his final goodbyes in private with his daughter—but Azula, thinking it too cruel for her to face it alone, insisted we all be present for the farewell.

「Gelli will smile, Gelli will… just give Gelli a little more time…」

『It’s alright. Even if we can’t talk like this anymore, as long as you have [Radiant Millennium Tree], we’ll always be together.』

She searched, fought, struggled—only to find that her first quiet conversation with her parents was also their last. Such is the cruelty of fate. Despite the victory, the sense of helplessness was overwhelming—until Azula suddenly raised her hand.

「Um, I have a question.」

「Azula, does it have to be now?」

「Yes, absolutely now.」

In that case, we had to hear her out. Everyone turned to listen as she posed her question.

「Marge-sama’s [Skill Lender]—I heard that if the recipient dies, the skill cannot be retrieved?」

「Yes, that’s correct.」

「Which means the [Divine Blade/Three Moon Sword] you loaned to Lord Emesmes…」

「Will disappear. I lent it with that in mind.」

The original owner of that skill was Altora, leader of the Silver Sword. His [Sword Saint] skill had evolved into [Divine Blade/Three Moon Sword] —a symbol of a past I’d rather forget.

Of course, I wouldn’t throw away such a valuable skill out of personal resentment alone. There was another, more critical reason for letting it go.

「Lord Emesmes… when I lent you that skill, you said it was ‘twisted,’ didn’t you?」

『I did! Still think so, by the way. Never seen a skill so warped.』

「It’s probably because of the drugs Altora used. He fought in a self-destructive way.」

Altora used combat-enhancing drugs up until the moment his skills were confiscated. His [Sword Saint] skill, tainted and distorted by those substances, had once been damaged beyond repair.

This is just a theory, but I believe even after it was restored, some distortion remained. That lingering corruption likely affected the skill’s evolution.

『If it had been recovered before it got twisted, maybe it would’ve evolved into something else. Not that what-ifs help now.』

「It’s a skill that once twisted this much, and even messes with your brain. I didn’t want to keep holding onto something like that. But getting rid of it wasn’t easy either.」

You could erase it by lending it to someone and letting them die—but that’s not exactly something you can do lightly.

It was powerful, and didn’t seem to have immediate side effects, so I kept it until now.

『So, you gave it to me for my final fight and used that to erase it. What a luxury! Do you know how rare evolved unique skills are in history?!』

「Think of it as a bouquet for your grave. So Azula, yes—losing the skill was part of the plan…」

「Are you sure it’ll disappear though?」

「…What?」

I was momentarily at a loss—then, probably thanks to getting my wisdom skill—[Song of the Age of Gods] back, a chilling possibility came to mind.

「Lord Emesmes.」

『Technically I’m not a lord anymore—passed that to Geli, remember? What is it?』

「If, using your inheritance-type Unique Skill, you passed on your knowledge, skills, and personality to Angelina… wouldn’t that effectively make Angelina and Roll All Emesmes the same person?」

『That… could be one way of putting it… ah.』

「Ah.」

「Ah.」

「In which case, wouldn’t the debt transfer directly to Geli-sama?」

Koe-san and Angelina must’ve reached the same conclusion—we all reacted the same way.

But we couldn’t assume. We had to check.

「Koe-san, what do you think?」

「[Skill Lender] has no concept of inheritance.」

With that premise established, she tilted her head with a troubled look.

「The lending contract is strictly between Master and the borrower. If a parent dies with a borrowed skill, the child is not obligated to repay it. However, if the parent and child become one… I honestly don’t know what happens.」

My [Skill Lender]’s ability is simple: lend some or all of your skill points, and retrieve them after ten days with ten percent interest.

That’s it.

But the person I lent it to is far from ordinary. Even the fading golden chain is twitching nervously, as if it can’t tell what’ll happen either.

『Um, Geli?』

「Yes?」

『If the debt I left goes to you, would you spend all your lifetime paying it back?』

「Absolutely not!!」

Of course not.

「I said this back when you came to the village, Angelina, but if the repaiment causes you to lose [Mud Infant], I’ll lend it back to you again.」

「You did, and back then Gelli said that was fine for negotiation! But it still doesn’t feel right to carry a skill that isn’t Gelli’s!」

「Fair enough…」

「And pardon me for being blunt, Marge-sama, but if something were to happen to you, the skill would disappear too.」

That risk, as Azula noted, couldn’t be ignored. And for Angelina, there was another issue just as serious.

「Also, if [Radiant Millennium Tree] transferred too… all of Geli’s memories would be visible, wouldn’t they…?」

「Yeah… that would be awkward. Even for Angelina…」

「That was a little rude, don’t you think?」

She’s still a young maiden, after all. There are bound to be things she’d rather no man see. I wouldn’t know how to react if I saw memories like that either.

So maybe… it’s worth a gamble. That mood was starting to take over the room—until I remembered.

Alchemists are the ones who chase the ‘impossible’.

『I guess I’ll just have to grit my teeth and not disappear, huh? I thought I’d already hit my limit with life support, though.』

「Koe-san, if Papa survives until day ten, then there’s no problem, right?」

「Yes, that’s correct.」

「The interest will be high, so a skill might be repossessed, but we can pick one that has minimal impact on Angelina. If he doesn’t survive, it’s all moot, but…」

「Are we sure that’s actually ‘impossible’?」

That question—whether it’s truly impossible—is at the heart of alchemy.

『That’s the spirit. Nothing more alchemist-y than being told something’s impossible, only to prove it isn’t. That’s us. That’s who we are.』

That’s how alchemy advanced—a collection of ‘failures that ended up working’.

And we’ve got two alchemists right here.

「Based on past experiments, [Seraph’s Grace] won’t work. If we prepare a new body and transfer his consciousness via resurrection, maybe… but that would shorten his lifespan—too risky.」

『The question is why healing doesn’t work. With high-tier healing and [Range Enhancement ], even equipment gets fixed. So being made of chains shouldn’t disqualify me.』

「Then let’s test whether healing really is impossible. Luckily, the 14th Head, [Fuga of Compassion], is skilled with healing. Let’s bring him out as a golem.」

『Alright, let’s head to the Emesmes estate. Time to test every last parameter.』

With that, the two of them marched off without us.

Five days passed, and there was still no sign of them leaving the mansion.

◆◆◆

「So that’s where Angelina’s been all this time…」

「According to Koe-san, who’s been bringing her meals, the research is still ongoing. Word is it’s been a nonstop heated debate.」

By all rights, Lord Emesmes should have vanished within a day. Yet five days had passed and he was still clinging to life. If nothing else, it was impressive.

Angelina had been through a lot. Shizuku nodded, then looked toward the house and added:

「But… maybe it’s better this way.」

「…Yeah. I don’t claim to understand what happiness looks like for others. But I think those two were always meant to fight till the very end.」

「Mm. I’m sure these ten days will be the best of Angelina’s life.」

「I hope so.」

A warm breeze, unseasonable for winter, passed above our heads.

Exactly on the tenth day, I felt the skill return. I headed to the Emesmes estate—and the only one to emerge was Angelina.

Tears still streaked her exhausted face, but her smile was full of peace and satisfaction.

She spoke a single sentence.

「Once again… we’ve proven nothing is impossible.」

With that, our battle in Vita-Tama was over.