Chapter 116

“But…!”

“They won’t kill me. So hurry…!”

“What is this wench babbling about?”

One of the men grabbed Elena by the hair.

“Ugh!”

She was dragged by his merciless grip.

“The mage only told us not to kill you, right? As long as you’re alive, that’s all that matters. You know, people are surprisingly tough. Even without an arm or a leg, they can still survive. Shall we see if you can do the same?”

“Stop it!”

Little One tried to rush forward, but another man blocked him. The remaining two men began to beat the fallen boy mercilessly.

It was a game to them. They could have easily killed him with their swords, but instead, they chose to beat him, flaunting their dominance over their captives.

The man holding Elena’s hair grabbed her by the cheek from behind.

“So, you left your fiancé and got involved with that kid, huh? Well, I don’t care. Just watch how that brat dies.”

Little One coughed up a mouthful of blood.

‘At this rate, Little One will really die.’

If she hadn’t come here, the boy wouldn’t have had to endure such horrors. It was all her fault for dragging him into this… all because of her.

Elena felt pathetic.

‘If only I were stronger…’

Even if I could only use auxiliary magic…!

At that very moment, something changed. She began to feel the wind brushing past her body more intensely than ever before.

No, it wasn’t the wind—it was mana. She could vividly sense the mana flowing through the space around her, making her skin tingle.

She also noticed something unusual about the mana enveloping Little One.

Professor Deros had once told her that she was more sensitive to mana than others.

Perhaps that was why. For some reason, she felt she could draw on the mana around her more effectively than ever before.

Even as the boy crawled toward her, battered and bruised, Elena clenched and unclenched her fists.

‘This feels different.’

Magic involved drawing mana from nature, transforming it into formulas, and manifesting it through incantations.

A mage’s skill depended on how much mana they could draw and how precisely they could manipulate it.

Felix excelled at both, while Elena struggled because she could only draw small amounts of mana, making her practical skills weak.

‘But now…’

For some reason, she felt like she could use magic far better than before.

All the theories and formulas she had learned at the academy flashed through her mind. At the same time, she felt a comforting sensation as the mana around her seemed to embrace her.

Watching Little One get kicked in the stomach again, Elena began chanting a spell.

As her ring glowed red, an explosion erupted among the men attacking the boy.

“Argh!”

The men fell to the ground, unable to withstand the shock. Meanwhile, a transparent barrier formed around Elena and the boy, shielding them. Thick smoke filled the air, turning their surroundings hazy in an instant.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Elena gathered mana at her fingertips and attacked the man behind her.

“You little wench!”

As soon as she escaped his grasp, she rushed to Little One.

“Little One, get up!”

She coughed as smoke filled her lungs. Her eyes stung so much that she could barely keep them open. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

Contrary to her fears, the boy quickly got to his feet. He grabbed a fallen sword, planted it into the ground for support, and swung it at the disoriented men.

One of the men, regaining his senses, charged at the boy from behind. Elena chanted another spell. The wind around them turned into blades that sliced through the man’s right arm, forcing him to drop his weapon.

As the man groaned, clutching his severed arm, the boy finished him off and swiftly dealt with another attacker.

Only one man remained. Realizing he was at a disadvantage, the last man began to back away.

“Sp-spare me.”

“Close your eyes, Miss.”

“No.”

Elena grabbed the hand holding the boy’s sword. While he hesitated, the man turned and fled.

Elena chanted another spell. An explosion erupted near the fleeing man, causing him to collapse.

Little One looked at her in shock. She spoke to him with difficulty.

“Magic is better than cutting someone down with a sword, isn’t it? But more importantly, Little One…”

She grabbed his arm as he struggled to stay on his feet. The boy coughed and spat out more blood. His internal injuries seemed severe.

Holding back her tears, Elena examined his wounds. The first thing she noticed was the gash on his arm.

“Little One, you…!”

“I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not.”

She tore her dress to bandage his wound but suddenly had a thought.

‘Could I heal his wounds too?’

Normally, she wouldn’t have dared attempt a healing spell due to its high mana consumption.

But now…

Instinctively, she muttered, 

“Heal.”

The deep wound on the boy’s arm began to close from the edges inward, revealing fresh skin. His eyes widened in surprise.

“How…?”

His question made it seem like he knew her magical limitations, which embarrassed her.

“I can do at least this much.”

Next, she healed the wound on his thigh. Though slightly out of breath, she wasn’t overly exhausted.

“Anywhere else?”

“No.”

“Don’t lie. Come here.”

She placed her hand on his abdomen and cast another healing spell. The boy winced and coughed a few more times but no longer spat blood.

When she finished, his face looked much more at ease.

“Are you okay now?”

“Yes. I mean it this time.”

Even with his reassurance, she couldn’t relax until she confirmed with her own eyes that he was truly fine. Then, she scolded him.

“Why didn’t you use magic? Do you know how scared I was?”

“I couldn’t.”

“Why not?”

The boy gave a bitter smile.

“Just being here drains a lot of mana. If I had used a high-consumption spell, I might have been sent back to where I came from.”

“But…!”

Elena raised her voice without realizing it.

“You could have died! You should’ve used magic, even if it meant going back! Why didn’t you? Why?!”

“I couldn’t.”

“Why? Because of me?”

“Yes. How could I leave you alone?”

“Why not? You’re not even supposed to be here in the first place!”

“But if I left…”

The boy, who had been responding firmly, suddenly fell silent. Elena guessed what he was about to say and asked,

“Because I’d die?”

At her words, tears welled up in his eyes. She stepped closer and asked,

“What kind of future are you trying so hard to change?”

What kind of future was so dire that he would go to such lengths?

She wanted to keep questioning him, but now wasn’t the time. More people, alerted by the commotion, were rushing toward them.

“Let’s talk after we get out of here.”

For now, their priority was to escape together. And…

‘I need to stop Felix.’

If her guess was correct, Felix was with Professor Deros. She had to stop the professor before he did something reckless.

“Stop right there!”

“Don’t kill the woman!”

The increasing number of enemies made her nervous. But Elena was no ordinary person. She was Elena Bellote, the top scorer in written exams at Verka Academy, famed for its competitive academic environment.

For eight years, she had never lost her top spot in written exams, even if her practical skills were lacking.

This meant she knew exactly which spells to use in situations like this.

“Hold!”

Using magic to immobilize their enemies, she watched as Little One swung his sword with precision. Despite being a mage, his swordsmanship rivaled that of a knight. After healing his wounds, he moved even more swiftly than before.

He reminded her of Felix, who excelled in both magic and swordsmanship.

“Little One, watch out!”

Whenever someone with high magic resistance broke free, Elena would cast a spell to knock them down or shield the boy with offensive magic.

But she wasn’t invincible. Though she had an artifact, she had never used this much mana before, and her body was starting to show signs of strain.

She didn’t let the boy notice, but her body felt increasingly warm, a sign of an impending rebound.

‘Just a little longer.’

Finally, when the boy defeated the last man, Elena collapsed on the spot.

“Mom!”

The boy ran to her, calling her “Mom” for the first time.

That single word felt strange. Hearing it from a boy her age, whom she hadn’t even given birth to, felt surreal.

It was absurd, yet not funny at all. Perhaps deep down, she had already accepted him as her child.

As he knelt before her, she gently cupped his face and smiled. Despite her efforts to protect him, a long scar ran across his cheek.

“So, I really am your mom, huh?”

The boy, on the verge of tears, nodded. He no longer tried to hide the truth.

She stroked his hair.

“You’ve grown up well. I’m proud of you.”

It was strange. She hadn’t given birth to him, and he was the same age as her, yet she felt nothing but pride.

Was this maternal instinct? Was my soul drawn to him?

“Mom… Mom!”

The boy hugged her and cried like a child, just as he had when he was five and clung to her.

Patting his back, she asked,

“In the future you came from, I die, don’t I?”

The boy shook his head desperately, speaking incoherently.

“No, no. Mom, you won’t die. I’ll change it. That’s why I came here. So, Mom… please hold on a little longer.”