SAAE 19

Chapter 19

And the next day.

I had no way of knowing whether an actual day had passed, but since I slept and woke up, it was the next day either way.

“Felix, wake up!”

Recovered thanks to Isarel’s support, I energetically woke Felix first.

Isarel was already awake, practicing his sword skills from a distance.

“W-what! Is it morning already?!”

Felix woke up with that same explosive voice as always.

I smiled at him and said,

“We’re leaving this island soon. There’s nothing here anyway. We can’t afford to waste time in a place like this, right?”

“Yeah. Yeah, you’re right. We can’t.”

Felix nodded blankly.

He still wasn’t fully awake, it seemed.

“Judging by the situation over there, waiting for those guys to leave first like last time would take way too long. So we decided to just go.”

That was something Isarel agreed with too.

After discussing it with him, I simply informed Felix of the plan.

Felix, who was basically freeloading, had no choice but to accept whatever we decided.

“There’s nothing here. It’s way too hot… If one of us gets dehydrated, that would be bad, so the faster we move, the better.”

Still, I gave him at least enough explanation for him to understand.

“At the very least, the next island will have more than this one. We’ll rest properly there.”

“Yeah, let’s do that. That’s better.”

Felix had almost had his arm torn off by a beast yesterday, yet he didn’t hesitate at all about leaving the island.

Before, he would’ve been terrified.

What the?

Did this guy… grow a bit?

I was staring at Felix with that thought when Isarel approached.

He shot Felix, who was still sitting, a cold look.

“Why are you still lying around? Get up.”

Then he turned to me and asked,

“How’s your headache?”

“It’s completely gone. I’m totally fine now.”

“Good.”

I looked toward the river with a fresh mindset.

More precisely, toward the fourth island visible downstream—the next destination.

For some reason, the numbers 4 and 6 seemed to hold special meaning within this tower.

The fourth floor’s trial had been relatively mild, which was proof enough.

So the next island might have something special.

In any case, it would definitely be different from the other islands—special in some way.

“Let’s go, Isarel.”

The moment I finished speaking, Isarel extended his right arm.

I grabbed it without hesitation and stepped into the river.

Immediately, the surrounding beasts turned their attention toward us.

“Oh—they’re leaving too, Rosette!”

Felix shouted, so I turned around. Sure enough, Leonard and his group were moving as if they were about to leave the island as well.

Those sly bastards.

“Forget them. Focus!”

We just needed to follow our own path.

It wasn’t only Felix who had grown—apparently the beasts had too.

“Rosette! Watch out!”

A beast had slipped in from the side, and I barely managed to block the club it swung at me.

The moment I defended, a spear flew from the front.

I maneuvered my spirit to knock the spear aside.

Then Isarel shouted,

“These beasts seem to have intelligence!”

I thrust my daggers wildly and yelled back,

“Definitely—ugh—these ones feel stronger than before!”

“Be careful.”

“You too—don’t get hurt!”

Among the monstrous beasts, several humanoid ones appeared wielding weapons.

Beasts using weapons?

It seemed the closer we got to the door, the stronger they became.

Gritting my teeth, I stabbed the huge spider-shaped beast’s torso with my dagger.

“Ugh!”

Gross!

Dragging the dagger downward with all my strength, I watched the beast thrash before collapsing sideways.

I kicked its body away and looked up—

—and saw a beast lunging at Isarel from behind.

“No!”

He was busy fighting two beasts already.

“Isarel!”

I ran desperately toward him, reaching out my hand.

Just in time, Isarel killed the two beasts and turned his head at my shout.

The beast’s jaws opened wide.

Damn, I’m too late…!

I swung my daggers frantically and screamed,

“Move, Isarel!”

Then—

“Huh…?”

Beside the spirit circling me protectively, another spirit appeared.

It immediately swung its arm and sliced the beast attacking Isarel clean in half.

Both Isarel and I froze in shock.

Two spirits?

Did I… manage to summon two spirits at once?

I had no idea how I did it, and I was dazed, but this wasn’t the time to lose focus.

The moment I understood the situation, I gave the new spirit a command.

“Clear the path to that island ahead! Kill every beast that gets in the way!”

“Rosette, that was amazing! You summoned two evil spirits and wiped those beasts out!”

The moment we entered the island, a cool breeze brushed against us.

A bit chilly, but incomparably better than the previous islands’ climates.

“Can you summon more than two? Like, several? Why didn’t you summon a bunch earlier? Actually, I’ve been wanting to ask—when did you even get that ability?”

We had just safely arrived on the fourth island.

The beasts were tougher, but thanks to the second spirit, we handled everything smoothly.

“Wait—don’t tell me you always had the ability and were hiding it…?”

The spirits still hadn’t disappeared and stayed on either side of me like guards.

Before, controlling even one spirit drained so much mana that I had to eat beans.

But now, even while controlling two, my mana consumption was low.

I still had plenty of mana left inside me.

What is going on?

Why am I suddenly so strong?

No matter how I thought about it, it didn’t make sense.

What is this…?

The second spirit didn’t feel like something I summoned with my own power.

It felt like it appeared on its own, independent of my will.

Which made it even stranger.

While I ignored Felix’s chatter and continued thinking, Dominic’s words came to mind.

“Rosie. Human abilities don’t grow in neat, step-by-step increments.”

Dominic had been a prodigy who could use 6th-circle magic by age ten.

He once told me that when honing one’s abilities, there comes a moment of sudden, explosive growth that breaks past one’s previous limits.

Come to think of it, he was a ridiculous monster too.

My adoptive brother Dominic never even appeared in the original novel.

I was just an extra, so of course my family wouldn’t be described in detail.

But for even the extra’s family to be overpowered… weird.

…Wait. Something’s really off.

As I frowned over the thought, Isarel approached and returned my wrung-out coat.

“It’d be better to put it on once it dries a bit.”

“Oh, thanks.”

I slung the coat over my arm and checked Isarel’s condition.

He seemed to have gotten used to fighting—thankfully, he had no major injuries like me. Only minor ones.

“…Hm, I guess it’s autumn here.”

Felix muttered awkwardly, embarrassed that I kept ignoring him.

I ignored that too and looked around.

At the center of this island was a forest, clearly much larger than the one on the second island.

Enormous trees—big enough to touch the sky—stood densely packed, separating the forest completely from the surrounding terrain.

Still, nothing seems particularly special.

Since it was the fourth island, I had expected more, but there wasn’t much difference from the previous ones—at least not yet.

But it was too early to be disappointed.

Just like how the second island’s lake had been hidden deep within the forest, something might be concealed here too.

“I’m going to take a look around the forest.”

“I’ll go with you.”

“Mm, okay.”

Isarel brushed back his damp hair and followed me.

I was about to start walking when I suddenly looked back at Felix.

“You?”

“Huh? M-me?”

“Yeah, you.”

“M-me, what?”

Why is he suddenly acting stupid?

“Are you coming with us or not?”

I frowned, and Felix stammered,

“O-oh… I was thinking of resting here a bit… I’m too exhausted…”

“…Okay then. Rest.”

I nodded half-heartedly and turned away—

—but something about it felt off.

That bastard… seems suspicious.