Chapter 29 _ The Cage of Roaring Thunder, or Lightning at the Moment of Rebirth
Several days later—early in the morning.
Cold mist filled the small room of the inn as I met with Frey and Iris
and told them about the “condition” Wilfred had set.
The moment Iris heard it, the color drained from her face.
Her hands trembled slightly.
“A–an ogre…?
Just Mario and me…?”
“Hmmm,” Frey muttered, hopping onto the table in her cat form.
“That man certainly enjoys setting cruel conditions.”
“As your master, I’ll say this clearly,” Frey continued.
“It is possible.”
Iris looked up, startled.
“Your growth over the past three months exceeds mere effort,” Frey said,
her eyes shining with rare seriousness.
“Your situational awareness as a mage,
your sensitivity to the flow of mana through the land—
and above all, you reviewed my teachings night after night
until they became part of your flesh and blood.”
“How many dawns did you watch rise, hmm?”
Iris inhaled sharply.
A faint light returned to her eyes.
“…You were watching me, Master?”
“Fool!” Frey snapped.
“Who do you think I am?
One glance at a disciple’s fingertips tells me
how many nights of training lie behind them.”
“You are not naturally gifted,” Frey continued.
“But the mastery you have built through sheer persistence—
especially your lightning magic—
now carries a sharpness rivaling even my spacetime spells.”
“…If it lands cleanly,” she added quietly,
“even an ogre would not remain standing.”
Iris swallowed.
“…If it lands?”
“Magic is the act of aiming the soul,” Frey said softly.
“With lightning, your heart must rest on the target.”
“But Iris…
your heart still bears the memory of comrades torn apart before your eyes.
That trauma distorts your aim.
Unconsciously, you avert your will.”
Iris bit her lip.
Her slender shoulders shook.
“But listen, Iris,” Frey said gently,
placing a paw atop her trembling hand.
“You can do this now.
The gods do not abandon those who face forward, even clumsily.”
“…Hold your heart steady.
You are my beloved disciple.”
A tear slipped from Iris’s eye—
not of despair, but of resolve born from trust.
“…Yes, Master.”
“Ogres usually move alone or in pairs,” Frey continued.
“Iris, how many were there that day?”
“…Two,” Iris whispered.
“I can still hear the footsteps… the smell…”
“Two, then,” Frey nodded.
“Troublesome, but manageable.”
“Mario,” she added,
“your legs will serve as bait.
I will not intervene.”
“If Wilfred said ‘the two of you,’
then this is a gamble within the bounds of survival.”
“…Think.”
I swallowed and began simulating the battlefield in my mind.
“Iris,” I said,
“are you ready? I brought the graphite spheres Frey taught us about.”
“…This time, I’m right beside you.”
“…Yeah.”
We talked through the plan carefully.
The next day—
We entered the northern mountain range,
Wilfred watching silently from behind.
The moment we crossed beyond the barrier,
the air changed.
The stench of rot and beasts burned my nose.
Ahead, in an open clearing, stood two massive figures—
each over three meters tall.
Muscle wrapped in reddish-brown skin,
dragging crude clubs across the ground.
Wilfred slipped into the shadows behind a rock,
his gaze cold and unmoving.
“Show me,” he murmured.
“Your attachment to life.”
My heart pounded.
“…I’ll draw it in,” I whispered.
“Thirty meters.”
I burst from cover.
“Hey! Over here, you bastard!”
One ogre turned and roared—
a sound that nearly ruptured my eardrums—
then charged, shaking the earth.
Twenty-five… twenty…
Fear clawed at my legs,
but I forced them to move.
Then—
Iris’s voice rang out, clear and unwavering.
“By the Ninth Law, I weave the violet lightning—
friction of the air, resonance of the void,
gather and scorch the heavens!
At my mark, descend at the speed of light—
Polaris: One Flash!”
The sky split.
A pillar of lightning struck straight down,
obliterating the ogre’s skull.
“GRAAAAAA—!!”
One blow.
The beast collapsed.
Confidence flickered in Iris’s eyes.
“The other one’s coming!” I shouted.
“Graphite—now!”
I hurled the black sphere.
It shattered midair,
coating the charging ogre in fine black powder.
“Now, Iris! Full output—Thunder!”
“Faster than sight, sharper than thunder—
strike true!
Thunder!”
Lightning chained unnaturally through the graphite,
burning the ogre from the inside out.
It fell, lifeless.
“We did it! Iris—we did it!”
I reached for her hand—
And then—
BOOM.
A vibration unlike anything before
rippled through the ground.
From the forest emerged a colossal figure,
over five meters tall.
Its skin gleamed like steel.
Its golden eyes held both intelligence and cruelty.
“…Ogre Lord,” Iris whispered, trembling.
“Run!” I shouted, grabbing her hand.
We ran.
The pressure behind us was overwhelming—
even the sound of the wind told me
this thing was faster.
Death clung to our backs.
At least… Iris…
Then I saw him.
“…This way!”
I dove toward the rocks where Wilfred stood.
He stepped forward calmly, passing us.
“That’s right,” he said.
“That choice… was correct.”
In the next instant—
Light flashed.
So fast it left sound behind.
The Ogre Lord froze midair for a heartbeat—
Then split cleanly in two,
from crown to groin,
collapsing without a scream.
Silence.
Iris stood frozen, speechless.
“…You win, Mario,” Wilfred said, sheathing his sword.
“You knew you couldn’t win.
And without hesitation,
you fled into the shadow of the strongest card available—me.”
“You understood your weakness.
That is why you survived.”
The words weighed more than any reward.
“My name is Wilfred,” he continued.
“…But call me Roger.
As penance.”
“Roger…!
Please—fight with us!”
Another figure stepped out.
“Well now…
For Fred to acknowledge someone so openly…”
Hans emerged,
radiant and elegant, wrapped in an adult composure.
“Why are you here!?”
“I came to secretly watch Fred’s test,” she said with a wink.
“Since we’re here—mind if I join too?
Sorcerer, at your service.”
Then—
Frey appeared, chest puffed proudly.
“Well done, Iris.
My teachings were not in vain.”
Roger immediately reached for his sword.
“Wait! She’s not an enemy!” I shouted.
“Move!” he growled.
“That cat radiates something unnatural—
divinity, even. Not a mere beast!”
“Watch your mouth!” Frey snapped.
“And Mario—was this intentional!?
Another mage heroine!? And she’s stealing my role!”
“…What role?”
“The mage slot! The heroine slot!
And worst of all—she’s not even a cat!”
“Ah!”
After a battle for our lives,
the absurdity broke the tension.
Iris laughed—softly, then freely.
“…Everyone’s ridiculous…
I’ll prepare teleportation.”
Her laughter echoed across the darkening mountains.
Beside her,
having survived hell itself,
I looked at the backs of my new companions.
