At Mount Guren, Where the Beloved Child Plays - Episode 9

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Rustica: Understood! Let’s go, Chloe.
Chloe: Right… Yeah! Sorry, Murr, Mithra, and the others. I’m going to find my earring! I won’t take long!

[ Chloe and Rustica fly off. ]

Mithra: … You, do you even realise what you’re trying to achieve?
You’re free to die if that’s what you wish, but please don’t get in my way while you’re at it.
Murr: Nah, I’ll live! All I’m going to do is pick a fight with the spirits! Just for a little bit!
Even if I make the spirits really mad, you’ll be just fine, right? You’re Mithra, after all.
Mithra: Well, of course. A little rampage from you won’t be a big deal.
Murr: Then I’ll go right ahead and invite myself to the fray!
« eanul rambul » !

[ Back at the foothills… ]

Akira: That looks like Murr’s fireworks… Wait, he’s using attack magic?!
Cain: Don’t tell me — he’s trying to widen the volcanic crater?!
Oz: He’s using himself as a decoy…
Snow: It’s a gamble, and he’s played his hand. He won’t be able to stall for very long.
Cain — pass Kenja onto Oz’s broom, and you shall ride behind me on mine.
Cain: But why— Urgh!?


[ Mount Guren - Summit ]

Murr: Spirits of Mount Guren! D’ya know who carved out a chunk of rock from the crater edge?
’Twas I, Murr, wizard of the West! And now, I’m going to grind the rocks around me down to dust!
« eanul rambul » !

Dialgr: (screeching)
Mithra: Nothing’s changed for you. You are still my opponent, so keep your eyes on me.
« arsim »

Murr: (whistles) Look at that giant pillar of flame!
I’m right here, I'm the prankster vandalising your land! Come catch me if you can!


[ Back at the foothills… ]

Cain: The hell!? I… can’t seem to use my magic at all…
Akira: You were about to fall off your broom… Cain, thank goodness you managed to toss me over to Oz at the last moment.

Snow: « noscommunia »

Snow, who held Cain in his arms, said his spell-word aloud. His magical tool – a doll – was surrounded by dazzling light.
But the light immediately dimmed. The remnants of magic scattered to the wind like dissolving mist.

Snow: By intentionally inflicting damage onto this land, Murr has drawn the spirits’ ire all to himself.
Akira: W-what do you mean…?
Oz: To perform magic, you must wield your heart in order to compel the spirits’ obedience.
If the spirits are angered and rebel against your magic, you will be powerless.
If a wizard has not yet adapted to these Northern lands, or if a wizard’s magical strength is weak, it will be difficult for them to use magic.
Akira: (Maybe Snow gave us the focus earlier to make sure the spirits were apprehensive to go against us when we created the barrier…)
Cain: Oh, earlier, there was a moment where I found it difficult to use magic.
I thought it was because I was panicking and couldn’t control my magic properly. But maybe my magic failed because of the spirits, like Oz said?

Oz nodded in silence. He raised his staff.

Oz: Let us join them at the volcanic crater. Do not stray from my side.


[ Mount Guren - Summit ]

Rustica: Chloe? Are you quite alright?
You’re about to fall off your broom. It’s been quite a while since you’ve had problems flying…
Chloe: I was really worried for a second there, but I’m fine! Thanks for hauling me up.
I guess it’s also been a while since I’ve rode with you on your broom, Rustica. Are you good with that?
Rustica: Certainly. But somehow, this is a little—
…! Murr’s being attacked by magma…
Chloe: Wait, by ‘draw the ire of the spirits’, this is what he meant?!
If we don’t head back soon, Murr’s going to be swallowed alive by the magma!

Rustica: Then, let us make haste, Chloe. Although it’s too difficult for you to fly a broomstick, do you think you can manage to use your magic to pull items to you?
Chloe: Um, I… I don’t know? That… might be beyond what I can muster.
Rustica: Alas… It appears the spirits’ anger is too high a hurdle for you to surmount.
I’ll create a barrier around us to prevent the magma from raining down over our heads.
While I have that barrier up, Chloe, I want you to reach out and grab your earring. Can you do that?
Chloe: That’s easy enough!
Rustica: Oh, and, shall we hold hands? I wouldn’t want you to accidentally fall into a pool of magma.
Chloe: Yeah! I won’t let go!

Rustica: Here we go now.
« amorest viesse »

Rustica: ……… Hm.
Chloe: Rustica? Oh no, not you too, Rustica…


Murr: « eanul ra……
Ha, haha… The spirits won’t respond to me.
But I can still manifest magic if I focus…
« eanul rambul » !


Rustica: It’s alright. Let’s try again…
« amorest viesse » !

Rustica: We’re ready to go, Chloe!
Chloe: G-got it…!

[ Rustica and Chloe fly over the crater zone. ]

Chloe: I see it! That’s my earring! Just a bit more, if only I could stretch my hand farther—

[ Rustica’s barrier shatters. ]

Rustica: The barrier’s—!

Owen: « quare moritor » !

Chloe: Owen!
Owen: If you’re here for your missing trinket, then hurry up and get it. If you don’t want to die a death by magma, that is.
Chloe: Okay!
… Nghh, I’m… so close…!
……! Yay! I’ve got it back!
Rustica: Wonderful! Thank you, Owen!
Now then, Chloe — let’s rendezvous with Murr!


Murr: « eanul ra……!

Owen: Hey, you dumb cat.
Murr: Woah!?
Owen: Chloe and Rustica found their thing already. Now get out of here and go back to Oz.
Chloe & Rustica: Murr!
Murr: Oh, welcome back, you two! You hurt anywhere?
Chloe: I should be the one asking you that, Murr! Are you alright?
Rustica: I’m glad you’re unharmed… We couldn’t have done it without you. Thank you.

Owen: Mithra.
Mithra: ………
Owen: Don’t you think it’s time to wrap things up? Stop playing around with it so much. Can’t you put it out of its misery already?
Or maybe, you don’t want to kill it?
Mithra: No way that’s true.
Owen: Thought so. You know, if you don’t kill it yourself now, Oz is going to swoop in and do it for you.
See this hourglass here? There’s not much left before it runs out of time.

[ Mithra flies off towards the djalgr. ]

Mithra: What hourglass is that…? What sort of time is it counting?

Djalgr: Grrraaghhh!!

Mithra: Oh, it’s broken free of the chains…
You really do have guts. I’ve beaten you to hell and back, but you’re still staring at me with that look in your eyes.
Djalgr: Mi… thʀᴀ…
ᴍɪthRa…!
Mithra: Even though you sound hoarse, your voice, and also, the magic radiating off you…
It feels like I’m duelling her.
What do you think? I’ve become far stronger than the boy I was back then, right?
« arsi—

[ The volcano erupts. ]

Mithra: …!? Damn, you’re noisy, you know, going all boom boom boom over there?
What’s more, it’s become weirdly difficult to use magic…
Those goddamned spirits…… Stop going berserk from your anger and please do as I command.

Mithra: « arsim » !

Oz: Mithra.
Mithra: !


The open air above the crater was filled with choking hot steam.
Upon noticing us, all the other wizards except Mithra flew towards us to regroup.

Chloe & Rustica: Kenja sama!
Cain: Hey, you guys…! You got your earring back? That’s great news!
Snow: Owen, you were the one who retrieved Murr? Good work!
Murr: He indeed retrieved me outta there~! He got me good, just like a cat by the scruff of its neck!
Owen: Hmph… How foolishly bold of you to pick a fight with the primordial spirits of the North.
Akira: I’m so glad you’re all sa—

Snow: …!
« noscommunia » !
Oz: « voxnox »

It was as if hell itself had boiled over. From the depths of a fiery hell came a sky-shattering explosion of sound and gale winds, assaulting us while we were checking on each other.
If it wasn’t for Snow and Oz’s instantaneous reaction to shield us all under some kind of veil, we would’ve been sent blasting off into the skies above.
That had definitely been the loudest and largest explosion I’d heard all day.

Snow: What a frightening display of power… The spirits must be so thoroughly infuriated.
Chloe: That was incredibly loud…
Akira: And, um, this smoke — is it just me, or is it kinda different from before…?
Cain: Yeah… It’s not really billowing upward. It’s more like it’s trying to stab the sky.
Rustica: This pillar made of magma and ash seems to stretch up forever.

Murr: … Oh, but that was no simple eruption of smoke.
To be exact, it’s a combination of magma, volcanic ash, stone, and volcanic gases… It’s all the material that was expelled from the volcano by that massive explosion of energy.
This ‘smoke’ won’t stay afloat for long. In time, its weight will catch up to it, and it’ll start falling down to the ground.
Owen: Oh? If that happens, wouldn’t the plants, the animals, and especially those two beasts fighting at the crater be done for?
Murr: Mm, I guess that’d depend on Mithra and the djalgr.
That said, it is a stream of killer substances moving at blistering speeds. It’ll definitely engulf the mountainside, the foothills — anything and everything under us is set for a fiery doom.

Oz: Mithra.

Oz glanced at the hourglass at the corner of his eye. Then, he held his staff at the ready as he called out to Mithra, who stood at the edge of the bubbling crater.
Mithra had managed to corner the djalgr, pinning it underfoot before the magma.

Mithra: Hey! Didn’t I say not to get involved in my business!
Oz: I do not intend to lend you any assistance.

Oz remained expressionless in the face of Mithra’s outburst.
All he did was exchange glances with Snow, and then he raised his staff aloft.

[ Oz CG ]
Oz: All I intend to do is to suppress these unruly spirits and quell this land.

Oz: « voxnox »

Oz’s spell-word resonated throughout the entirety of this devastated land like a command from on high.
His voice wasn’t loud at all, yet the land and the wrath that pulsated through it thrummed in response to him.

Everything stilled: the deep rumbling from the depths of the earth, the vigorous geysers of magma. Silence washed over it all like a great wave.
The pillar of smoke that had shot so high into the sky lost its momentum. It dissipated into haziness and then nothing.


Mithra: … « arsim »

[ The djalgr groans from being struck by magic. ]

Mithra: My magical power is back…
Tch…… That Oz. What a show-off.
Djalgr: … Grr, grraaaaah!
Mithra: … You’re already down for the count. I suppose that’s that.
To think that in the past, you were a foe so formidable, our fight lasted for days.
But… looking back, you were a worthy opponent. You kept picking yourself back up, even though I battered you with everything I had.
The time we spent trying to kill each other was fun.
Today, I had fun. All those days from long ago, I had fun then too.

Mithra held up his skull as he gazed down upon the djalgr, who was clinging to the edge of the crater with its claws.


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