Do You Love Magic - 82
Marc exclaimed, his attention still fixed on the knights and their horses.
Suddenly, one of the knights shouted, "One person is making a run for it!"
Marc quickly turned his head toward the commotion. Before he could even make out what was happening, one of the knights began an incantation.
"Buona Velocita!"
The knight's body briefly glowed before he lunged forward at incredible speed, quickly catching up to the fleeing man. With a swift movement, he seized the man's arm and forced him down onto the ground, firmly subduing him.
…
"Woaaaa! That's so cool! The knight just used magic!" Marc exclaimed joyfully.
"Hmm... Magic knights, huh..." Bell thought to himself as he watched the scene.
"Teacher Juro! I thought knights didn't use magic, but one of them just did!" Marc asked.
"Those are actually magic knights," Juro casually explained.
"Magic knights???" Marc repeated, his eyes sparkling with curiosity.
"Well, there used to be something like that. Actually, way back before our current king took the throne, there were two distinctions among knights. There were ordinary knights who focused heavily on physical abilities. While they did have mana, they mainly used mana manipulation to lightly enhance their strength or speed. Then there were magic knights, who actually used magic through incantations. They might not have been as proficient as mages themselves, but they made up for it by having physical abilities on top of their magic."
"Ooooo..." Marc listened intently.
Juro continued, "But back then, there was quite a lot of disrespect towards knights because of that distinction. So, as soon as our current king took the crown, he abolished the title of magic knight and brought them all under the same title of knights. That way, there'd be less reason for people to compare them or look down on one group over the other."
"Woaahh... The king is so cool and thoughtful!" Marc exclaimed with a big smile.
"Well, he isn't off..." Bell thought to himself, a light smile forming on his face.
As soon as the knights finished escorting the people who had been working under the orphanage onto the caged carriage, Marc turned to check on the children. He noticed that they were being escorted towards a different, proper carriage, and each of them had been given a blanket.
Among them, he spotted a familiar face.
"Nery!"
Nery turned her head at the sound of Marc's voice. The moment she saw him, her expression brightened, and she quickly ran towards him. Marc opened his arms, welcoming her into a hug.
"She looks a bit brighter now..." Bell thought to himself as he watched Nery's expression.
Marc gently pulled back from the hug and spoke in a soft tone.
"Nery, these knights will take you to a proper home where you can feel safe. So there's no need to be scared anymore, alright? You're free now."
Nery's eyes began to water. She opened her mouth, trying to say something.
"I..."
But then her expression slowly changed into a smile, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Thank you, brother!"
She hugged Marc again, catching him a little by surprise. Yet, as he returned the hug, his own eyes began to grow slightly teary.
"When she said 'I,' it almost sounded like she wanted to stay together with Marc... But she probably realized that he couldn't..." Bell thought to himself. He lightly sighed, a small smile remaining on his face. "Kids these days are really getting smarter..."
Afterward, Nery looked up and turned towards Bell.
She approached him and gave a slight bow.
"Thank you."
Bell smiled before placing a hand on her head and gently patting it.
"Enjoy your life now, alright?"
Nery nodded, her eyes still teary.
As she made her way towards the carriage where the other children were waiting, she remembered how Marc always seemed to have a smile on his face, no matter the situation. And so, even in this bittersweet moment, she decided to do the same.
She turned around one last time, wearing a bright smile with her teeth showing.
"Thank you! Bye-bye!"
She waved at them before finally climbing into the carriage.
Marc smiled and waved goodbye to her. Bell and Juro did the same, and soon, the knights finally departed.
After waving until the carriage was out of sight, Marc let his entire body relax and dropped onto the ground, lying on his back as he looked up at the night sky.
"Phew... What a night..." Marc said, his voice sounding tired, yet carrying a hint of happiness.
"The sun will be rising in a few hours," Juro commented with a smile. "We barely got any sleep, huh?"
"Yeah," Bell replied.
"But... I didn't hate it..." Marc added, a warm smile forming on his face.
Both Bell and Juro simply smiled, silently agreeing with him.
…
Once everything had settled down, the three decided to camp outside the orphanage for the remainder of the night. Bell and Marc went from room to room, gathering pillows and blankets before laying them out on the ground, while Juro prepared a fire to keep them warm.
After everything was set up, they each settled onto their own blankets and pillows. Juro was the first to fall asleep, almost immediately. Meanwhile, Bell and Marc remained awake, quietly staring up at the night sky.
After a little while, Bell slowly closed his eyes, leaving Marc as the only one still awake.
A minute passed, then another. Even after ten minutes, Marc's eyes remained fixed on the sky.
Bell eventually opened his eyes again and lightly asked, "Can't sleep?"
"Yeah..." Marc replied quietly.
"Head full of thoughts?"
"Yeah..." Marc answered again, his voice just as soft.
A few seconds of silence followed before Marc finally opened his mouth.
"I really admire you, Bell."
Bell remained quiet, continuing to gaze at the night sky.
"Earlier... back in the room, it was my first time seeing someone di..." Marc began, but his words stumbled. He seemed a little nervous about saying it aloud. After a moment, he took a breath and continued.
"Die like that..."
His expression softened.
"You were so cool and observant at that time..." Marc said with a slight smile. "Unlike me... I started gagging, my head was spinning, my vision became blurry, and my stomach felt all upset. It didn't feel real, seeing something like that up close..."
He paused for a moment.
"And... I was scared."
Marc slowly gripped the fabric of his shirt near his chest.
"I was really scared, Bell... I thought I was going to die..."
His eyes began to grow watery.
"Getting stabbed really hurts... I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry... But Nery was there, and she was probably even more scared than I was..."
His grip tightened slightly before he continued.
"I thought that... if that really was the moment I was going to die, then I'd rather die saving someone with a smile."
Marc smiled, his eyes still teary and his hands trembling slightly.
"Because... I think that's what he would have done..."
As those words left his mouth, Bell's eyes widened ever so slightly.
That one line brought a multitude of thoughts and memories rushing into his mind. For a brief moment, he simply remained there, looking up at the night sky.
Then, Bell lightly smiled to himself.
"I was scared too, Marc..." he said in a gentle voice.
Marc's eyes widened slightly before Bell continued.
"But I think I was even more scared of not being able to do anything."
Those words made Marc's eyes widen a little further. As he listened, something slowly began to dawn on him.
"You saved Nery... You helped and saved a child. No... You saved the children..."
Those few words struck Marc deeply. New tears began to well up in his eyes, but this time, they didn't come from sadness or fear. Instead, they came from relief.
"You did more than enough. So you were cool too, Marc."
Tears quietly ran down Marc's cheeks. His heart was still in a complicated state, but hearing those words from Bell seemed to lift some of the weight off his chest.
Bell briefly shifted his gaze to the side, glancing at Marc. After a moment, he lightly smiled to himself before looking back up and closing his eyes.
And with that, the orphanage night incident finally came to an end.
...
….
Hours steadily passed, and the bright sunlight began shining over Marc's eyelids.
"Mrghm..."
Marc narrowed his eyes against the brightness above him before slowly sitting up and rubbing his right eye.
Juro, who was sitting nearby, noticed him.
"Oh, you're awake. That was some sleep you had, huh?" Juro said with a light chuckle as he noticed Marc's slightly puffy eyelids and the pinkish tip of his nose.
"When did the sun rise...?" Marc asked sleepily.
"Hm? A few hours ago, or so," Juro casually responded.
Suddenly, Marc jolted awake.
"Whaaaat?! Wait, how long have I been asleep?!"
Juro laughed at Marc's sudden panic before reassuring him, "It's fine, it's fine. We don't have anything scheduled anyway, so there's no rush to wake up. I'm sure you were really tired after everything last night..."
"Yeah... Last night..."
Marc repeated those words, but his voice gradually softened. A quiet moment followed. Juro noticed the change in his expression and was just about to say something to lighten the mood when Marc spoke first.
"Teacher Juro..."
"Hm?" Juro responded.
"Were you..." Marc hesitated, struggling to put his thoughts into words. "Does it... I mean... What did you think when you saw people die? Or when you had to kill someone...?"
Seeing Marc's worried and nervous expression, Juro gave him a gentle smile before replying in a soft tone.
"Marc, when it comes to witnessing someone lose their life, or even being the person who takes a life, it's never easy. It requires you to be determined about the choices you make and the path you decide to take."
Juro slowly raised his left hand and looked at it before continuing.
"You're not the only one who feels that way, Marc. Many people who wanted to become mages, new adventurers, and even fully qualified mages have felt the same way you do. Some decide to quit, others change their career paths or even give up on their dreams. There are mages who choose to use their knowledge and magic to teach others, while some pursue careers that don't involve anyone having to lose their life."
He slowly opened his hand.
"Many people would rather avoid witnessing something like that. But there are also those who feel the same fear and still continue chasing what they love. Even when things get brutal or difficult, they push through because they either see a greater future ahead of them or have someone they want to protect. Either way, everyone has their own reasons for continuing this kind of life."
Mana began to flow slowly from Juro's palm. It moved at a steady, gentle pace, almost calming to watch.
Marc's eyes followed the flowing mana.
Juro glanced at him before asking, "Do you love magic, Marc?"
Without the slightest hesitation, Marc answered in a soft voice while continuing to stare at the mana.
"Yes..."