SPELLCRAFT: Reincarnation Of A Magic Scholar

"I always found it strange that Jared didn't bother resurrecting the dead ones in that world where we found Legris, even though he should have been able to. We would have gotten more information from them, and if that Hero was strong enough, he could have been an ally. The possibilities were endless, yet he didn't even try."

Kuzon began, his tone growing harsher with every odd he uttered.

"And it wasn't just that world. Every world we passed through, we saw civilizations that had crumbled and loves that were destroyed. Jared would only mourn them and increase his rage towards Legris. Yet, not once did he try to save or resurrect them…"

The more he said, the more the people around him realized where Kuzon was headed.

"I always assumed it was because we were in a hurry, but it's uncharacteristic of Jared not to even try saving those he can. With what happened in that last world… I chalked it down to his rage and all the frustration he had culminating in a single point, but now… now it all makes sense."

Kuzon stared at the Constellations—especially Aquarius—with resolve in his eyes.

"Jared knew all along. He knew those worlds were doomed already. A world without a Hero existing… civilizations without certain people… they were lost causes. That was why he didn't even try."

The moment Kuzon said this, his tone became softer.

"That idiot… he knew all along and decided not to let us in on it. He shouldered all that alone… burdening himself with the complete erasure of those realities!"

Even though no one said it directly, they realized that the villagers that were saved would soon amount to nothing.

According to that world's history, their Hero saved them from the Demons.

Without Zephyr, none of them would even exist.

In essence, they were all probably dead.

No, not probably.

"All those people… they're all dead. He knew that all along. That was why he was so upset. That was why he despised Legris so much…"

Tears fell from the young Midas' eyes as he remembered all the moments throughout their journey that Jared led the charge, not even saying a word about the ruined worlds they passed through.

Back then, he thought Jared was focusing solely on the mission and cold heartedly ignoring the casualties he could have saved.

Now… now he realized how wrong he was!

Kuzon wasn't blaming Jared—far from it.

Instead, he empathized with his best friend. He closed his eyes and felt his heart racing uncontrollably.

'I'm sorry, Jared! All those people…'

Everyone felt the solemn atmosphere press in on them, and the Constellations knew better than to say anything to interrupt the moment.

However, amidst this emotional crescendo, a soft voice echoed through.

"Where is Jared?"

Everyone looked in the direction where the mild and calm voice came from, and they found their eyes on Maria.

Her pale face and expressionless demeanor made her appear to be the only calm person in the room.

Her eyes, however, displayed a sadness that was impossible to ignore. Her lips moved once again and she asked the same question.

"Where is Jared?"

Determination was etched in her gaze, and so, even when she did not receive an immediate response, she opened her quivering lips once more to ask:

"W-where is Ja—?"

"He's in secluded training. He left the realm a while back, and it's unclear when he'll return." Virgo answered.

Aquarius instantly turned towards her, but Virgo shrugged it all off.

"It's no big deal. It's not like he told us to keep his whereabouts a secret."

There was no arguing that.

"Besides, she's his lover. I think she deserved to know."

Aquarius sighed and waved dismissively.

"It's fine. What is done is done. It is true that Jared is currently not present, but that is merely a tangent, since his return is beyond our control."

Aquarius' point was simple.

They could not rely on Jared at the moment, hence they had to focus on the more important and controllable parts of the situation.

And that led them to the next issue.

"What to do with the rest of you…"

It was clear that everyone present had grown considerably since they first arrived in the Constellation Realm, but as proven by their just-concluded battle with Legris… they were still no match for him.

When considering the situation, their surprise and lack of understanding of Legris' abilities played huge roles in their defeat, but even looking at the grander image, it was difficult to imagine them achieving overwhelming victory if Legris had decided to definitively eliminate them.

"He was buying time. He wasn't going all-out."

If he was… how exactly would the situation have ended? That was left to anyone's guess.

"U-urgh… what's going on here? So… loud…"

Ciara's groggy voice suddenly pierced the air, and everyone's attention instantly fell on her.

They watched as she completely regained consciousness. As she rubbed her eyes, yawning and stretching, silence took charge.

… Until Aquarius spoke.

"You did well, Ciara. I acknowledge that. Without your assistance, all the mortals in this room would be dead."

It was very difficult to imagine how just one girl had altered their fates, especially since she still had a small amount of drool on her face.

However, it was the truth.

"While I am a bit hesitant to admit this, we make a pretty good team, Ciara. If you desire—"

"JERRRYYYYYYYY!!!"

The moment Ciara fully realized what was happening, she turned her entire attention to Jerry, hugging him tightly as he cried out loud.

"I'm so glad you're okay! You're all healed up too! Ahh! Hope you aren't feeling any residual pain anywhere!"

Jerry, whose only pain stemmed from how tightly Ciara was hugging him, knew there was only one answer he could give her.

"I-I'm perfectly fine!"

Fortunately, his muffled speech was more than enough to comfort her.

"I'm so happy! You're alive! You're alright!"

Apparently, she either didn't hear Aquarius or chose to ignore her.

Because… she never acknowledged the Constellation's words or existence.

… Ever!

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[A/N]

Thanks for reading, everyone!

Classic Ciara… hahaha!