From there, it was a continuation of what could hardly even be called a conversation—punctuated by a battle waged with magic.
Each of them, pouring out what they carried inside. Venting their frustrations through magic, lashing out wildly like tantrum-throwing children, ugly and unrestrained—in a sense, doing whatever they pleased.
As a magic battle, the tactics and quality of their spells were bottom of the bottom of the bottom. Any noble accustomed to magic would have found it hideously crude—so childish it would make one question whether this was really the magic of royalty.
But precisely because of that. These two, who had always been shackled by such constraints, every time and everywhere—who for that reason had never even been able to properly fight—
These two, who had not been chosen by the world—were now, in a corner of the wasteland, as if reclaiming everything they had been owed, trading magical blows more freely than at any other point in their lives.
Everyone present watched the fight in silence, without a single word of interference.
If anyone asked whether this sibling quarrel was productive—the answer was, well, without question, absolutely not. If it could be resolved through discussion, that would obviously be preferable, and both time and magic power were being squandered in this tense situation beyond measure. From an efficiency standpoint, every bit of it was a waste.
…And yet.
This was something these two needed.
That much, everyone somehow felt certain of—and so no one intervened, quietly watching how it would end.
Eventually, when their magic power was nearly spent on both sides…
"What… do you want me to do, huh?"
Herk's bitter words—he had lost count of how many times he had said something like this. Whether on a whim or with some other intent, Laila answered.
"You already know that, don't you? My big brother is an idiot, but he's not stupid. …There's nothing more we can do, at this point. Either we keep trying like we have been, or we give up. For ordinary humans like us, that's all there is—no matter how far we go, it always comes down to those two choices."
She paused, taking a breath.
"From here on out, I'm going to keep doing as I please, being as selfish as I want. …At the very least, I'm vetoing any scenario where you charge headlong at that monster and die."
"W-Why?"
"Because that's what I want. …If you want me to put it another way—what I wish for is a normal family. And the only actions I can take are ones that fulfill that wish."
Herk's eyes widened slightly—wasn't that a contradictory answer? But even before he could point it out, Laila's response continued to flow from her lips.
"Oh, so I'll end up doing the exact opposite of what you wish, big brother. ...But sorry about that."
She lightly gestured behind her with a fingertip, then declared with an exasperated look.
"Lily doesn't wish for you to die, big brother."
"---"
"If the wishes of a foolish, ignorant big brother and his adorable, adorable little sister happen to line up, anyone would do the same, right? So that's that."
As expected, Herk—exhausted from his repeated battles against Karma—never stood a chance from the start.
All of his attacks were sealed away by a barrier, and a single punch wrapped in that barrier struck him down.
"...Damn it."
With a bitter expression, Herk sank into the ground.
The battle drew its curtain.
Dragging Herk's unconscious body, Laila made her way over. She then hurled Herk at Ermes's feet.
"...Um."
"You need my brother's cooperation, right? Then go ahead and work out the details on your own or whatever. Well, I'm sure he still hasn't given up on defeating Karma by himself, though..."
Laila's expression softened, just slightly.
"...Even so, now that he's let out at least some of what he'd been carrying and bottling up, there should be a little more room to listen to what other people have to say."
"...Thank you."
"You have no reason to thank me. ...I just did as I pleased, and I'll keep doing as I please for the sake of my wish from here on out."
Then, quietly piercing Ermes with her crimson eyes, she declared.
"After all—you're the same way, aren't you?"
"Ghk."
Those words.
For some reason, they pierced her chest more than anything else.
"So then, I'll be heading back to my own camp. Fooing those nobles isn't exactly easy, you know, and since that Saint is such a soft touch, I should just—"
Mid-sentence, Laila moved to leave the scene, intending to continue doing what she needed to do—
But then. With a firm grip, the hem of her garment was seized by a small hand.
Laila called out the culprit's name, puzzled.
"...Lily?"
"I refuse."
"You refuse?"
"I'm grateful that you stopped my brother. ...But setting that aside, I have quite a few things I'd like to say, and if you were free to do as you pleased for that long, I think it's only proper that you listen to what I have to say."
Directed at Laila—who couldn't very well deny having done exactly that—Liliana gazed up at her, her tone carrying a subtly sulky edge.
"...Also. Simply put—I'd like to spend a little more time talking with my sister, who hasn't visited here in so long. ...Is that so much to ask?"
At those words—
Laila wore the most complex expression yet, her face cycling through a rich tangle of emotions for several long seconds before she relented.
"...Fine. I'll humor you for ten minutes."
At those words, Liliana's face lit up with unconcealed joy.
Guided away by Liliana, who tugged at Laila's arm, with Nīna trailing behind with a wry smile, they disappeared into the inner recesses.
And so, Helck was successfully drawn in—at least for the time being—in a way that smoothed things over.
This series of events, including the sibling quarrel, left each of them affected in various ways.
"...Are humans only supposed to do the right thing?"
Especially Ermes.
Having been pierced by Helck's words, and by Lila's words as well.
She resolved to reconsider once more her own way of being—shaken as it had been by Laplace.
The fight against Karma was advancing to the next stage—drawing ever closer to a final reckoning.
Thank you so much, Ichinose-san!
Sorry for the shorter update!
The comeback arc preparations are finally coming together. The next update is scheduled for 10/8 (Saturday).
There's one more episode before we head into the decisive battle, so I hope you'll keep reading from here on out!
Also, I have one more announcement.
It'll probably go live around the time of the next update, but...
It's not related to Creation Magic, but I have an announcement!
If you're interested, I'd be really happy if you'd look forward to that too!! Thank you for your continued support,