Re:Zero kara Hajimeru Isekai Seikatsu web novel

"Well then, I'll ask you to stall for time as we agreed."

　These were the words Subaru said to Otto after they had safely completed the search for Lewes and reunited with him.

　Otto, who had been told the details by Subaru the day before and the day before, immediately realised that this was the signal to begin the situation he had been preparing for two days.

"That's fine, but do you have any idea where Emilia-sama is heading to? If we're unable to reunite with Natsuki-san and Emilia-sama while we're buying time, then whatever we're doing will all end in vain…"

"I can't say that that was completely overlooked. After all, the current situation is due to that oversight. But well, there's no need to worry."

　Subaru, who had been scratching his head and looking miserable, now had a serious expression.

　Rather than being sharp, his eyes are simply mean, and when he puts on a serious expression, it makes him look as if he is trying to hold back anger about something.

　Otto, who knows Subaru well despite their short acquaintance, does not mistake this for something else, but he cannot help but think that he has a disfigured face. Subaru thinks the same of Otto, but neither of them realizes this, which is a commonality between these two strange friends.

Subaru: "I have an idea where Emilia might be. To be honest, I was embarrassed when I heard she had disappeared, but once I calmed down, I realized this is the only place she could be."

"Is that so? By the way, about that... No, I'll refrain from asking."

"Really? You can talk to me and take on the role of praising my reasoning, you know?"

"I'll stop. I don't feel like being Natsuki's flatterer, and if I end up being caught by Garfiel in the process of stalling for time, it'll be a hassle if I start blurting out everything, right?"

　When I explained the risk of information leaks to him with a shrug, Subaru nodded and said, "I see."

　In fact, it was certainly a cause for concern. Otto didn't think of himself as being particularly tolerant of pain, and he couldn't remember ever experiencing pain beyond his limits.

　If Garfiel, in a desperate situation, were to harm him, he might just let slip what he knows. I would hate to be a hindrance in that way.

"Well, if it's something that's slipping out of your mouth, I guess there's nothing I can do about it."

"――――"

　Without any hesitation, Subaru simply says, "Just take it easy."

　He has a face that shows he has no idea how the person hearing it will feel.

　This level of unconscious trust is placed in someone, and who could betray that?

　He's not even doing this consciously, which makes him a really terrible friend.

"Anyway, I will do my best to make sure it goes well. After all, whether Natsuki-san succeeds or not will greatly affect my future."

"Yeah. If I fail spectacularly, your future will be rock bottom. If you think it's dangerous, just run away. That guy probably won't take jokes today."

"...Yes, I'll keep that in mind."

　Otto responded to these considerate words with a slight smile.

　During his meeting with Subaru, Otto had done all the groundwork and preparation beforehand, and had instructed them to load the refugees from Aram Village onto each dragon carriage and to begin the evacuation a little while after he departed as a decoy.

　To fool Garfiel into thinking there were a lot of villagers on board, the two carriages were stuffed with villager clothing, and a single easy-to-find road leading outside was used as a decoy.

　Otto had spent the whole night researching the routes the refugees would take to escape, and had thoroughly explained them to each of the earth dragons.

　There should be no problems.

　All that remained was for Otto's decoy plan to be discovered and for the refugees to be able to escape.

　It was a plan that would allow Subaru and Emilia to escape the threat of the Great Rabbit that was due to attack in two days, while also buying them time to discuss things. After that, Garfiel would return to the village, find Subaru, and a pandemonium would unfold.

"――――"

　Otto had decided that he shouldn't let that happen.

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　To begin with, Otto Suen was not blessed with particularly good physical abilities.

　Due to their profession as peddlers, they had acquired a fair amount of self-defense skills to avoid dangers on the road, but compared to those who made a living from real fighting, they were not just one step behind, but ten steps behind.

　When transporting valuable cargo, it is essential to have an escort, and there was once when he was attacked by bandits while trying to take a shortcut through the mountains and he was forced to abandon his cargo and flee.

　He is open to the idea that he is not cut out for rough situations and is not able to solve problems head-on with violence.

"Why am I doing this to someone like that right now...?"

　Lightly wiping the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, Otto forced a smile onto his stiff cheeks. A basic requirement for a merchant is to always smile when interacting with others.

　Being born into a merchant family, Otto had had this lesson drilled into him as he grew up. Though, it was only from around the age of ten, and only covered about half his lifetime of experience.

　Still, this custom is not to be mocked.

　By smiling like this and tricking your body into thinking that this is just another normal situation, your body will gradually be able to accept the tension as something comfortable.

　My hands can move. My legs can move. I can still run.

　It was a wonder to him that he hadn't gotten out of breath after running so far over such rough ground. The lightness of his heart, which had been renewed, was unleashing a previously unseen power in his entire body.

"However, even if you awaken it, it's not that great. There's no need to be complacent, carelessness is the greatest enemy."

　As they made their way through the gaps in the forest trees, Otto warned himself about his own bad luck at this crucial time.

　Garfiel, who had been left behind far away, had not been able to find them. But of course he could not continue to run away like this. Otto's role now was to keep Garfiel's attention and not let him return to the Sanctuary.

　To not let Garfiel realize that he doesn't actually need to deal with Otto.

　As Otto hides in the forest, he shows off one trick after another to lure Garfiel.

　That's right. In truth, Garfiel doesn't need to deal with Otto.

　In order to achieve his goal of not liberating the Sanctuary, it was essential that he hold back Subaru and Emilia, and Otto was nothing more than an added bonus.

　Garfiel himself, who had paid no attention to Otto up until this point and had been caught off guard like this, should have understood this better than anyone.

　Fallen leaves and magic ores were being kicked up, and also, a large number of flying insects had been placed inside the dragon carriage.

　With these two ostentatious, damage-free traps, Otto had completely succeeded in making Garfiel's blood boil.

　Garfiel had lost his composure and was narrowing his focus to the idea that Otto was someone he had to defeat, even though that wasn't really necessary.

"But if you wait too long, people will notice right away."

　Therefore, Otto could only continue to provoke Garfiel, who knew that getting too close would be the greatest danger of all, by keeping a fair distance.

　Since his nose had been killed, it wouldn't be fatal as long as he was out of sight, but if he were caught, Garfiel had enough ability to close the distance between them in an instant.

　It truly required a sense of tension and caution, like walking a tightrope.

"――――"

　While hiding in the bushes, Otto peered at the scene ahead.

　About twenty meters ahead, Garfiel was glaring at the surroundings. His sense of smell had been completely killed by the effect of the pungent-smelling oil called Kisnis that was sprayed on the dragon carriage's wheels. He looked annoyed, relying only on his vision to search for Otto, exuding the alertness of a wounded beast.

　Messing with that thing just to keep it conscious would be a foolish move, like sticking your hand into a burning fire; you're sure to get burned.

"Well then, I'm counting on you!"

"Ai ai oh"

　Otto's voice makes a thin noise, and a responding bark passes through my eardrums and is translated into meaning.

　Following Otto's signal, there was a faint rustle in the forest.

"Huh...?"

　Garfiel looked up, feeling something strange as the trees rustled in the wind.

　The trees surrounding him all fired mud balls made from rolled up soil and droppings at his face.

　This is an intimidating behavior by a small animal believed to be a forest mouse that lives in tall trees.

　Naturally, the mud balls themselves had no lethal power, but as they were hurled at him from all sides, Garfiel frantically jumped aside to try to avoid them. However, he was unable to avoid them all, and several hit him in the legs, causing him to click his tongue at the smell and the mud that had covered them.

"This, this! Shit! Why did this happen… this was also that bastard's trick…"

　Smearing the filthy mess on a nearby tree, Garfiel immediately suspects Otto's involvement. However, as he voices his suspicions, he notices something and wrinkles his nose.

　--The mud balls of the forest mouse have no lethal power. They just stain clothes and leave a smelly smell.

　However, the smell of their droppings has a tendency to attract certain insects that live in the forest.

「――――!!」

　Something wriggling beneath Garfiel's feet approached, entangled itself, and leapt at his leg. Crawling along Garfiel's leg, suffocating him, was a long, black, centipede-like insect.

　The centipede, as long as a human arm, crawled up to Garfiel's left knee, which was covered in mouse droppings, and pressed its grotesque mouth cavity against it, biting into the remains of the dumpling.

"Yeeeaah! That's disgusting!"

　Garfiel flicked his claws and shook the centipede off, but one after another, the same centipedes crawled out of the ground, jumping around as if fighting over not only Garfiel's legs, but also the mud balls that had missed him, turning the whole area into a kind of hellish scene.

　The centipede is a creature that loves the seeds of fruit found in the droppings of forest mice.

　Otto, who had to wander endlessly through the forest setting traps, had been able to converse with many living creatures and throw in all sorts of potentially useful items.

　Contrary to their hideous appearance, centipedes are not carnivorous or poisonous, but with so many of them surrounding them, they are a threat in themselves.

　In fact, Garfiel too--

"--! Ah! Stop it!"

　Frustrated by the swarm of centipedes clinging to him, Garfiel yells, spittle flying.

　Then he raised his right leg high into the air and slammed it into the ground with all his might.

　Immediately afterwards, the earth with him at its centre bounced into a square, as if it was being cut off.

"――――"

　Seeing this extraordinary sight, Otto involuntarily held his breath.

　Garfiel, on the cut earth, uses his claws and feet to hunt down the swarm of centipedes immobilized by the shock wave. When the floating earth returns to earth with a loud thud, all the centipedes crawling around him have been defeated, and the remaining centipedes, terrified, dive back into the ground.

　The trees that the forest mice had made their home had been caught up in the flaking of the earth and fallen, and the residents who had helped Otto had also fled in panic.

　It seems they paid a heavy price for their sugar water.

"Well, that's also part of business… Whether you can turn a business opportunity into a success depends on the person's ability, so I hope you don't resent me."

　Seeing a glimpse of Garfiel's power, Otto holds a brief debriefing to calm himself down. Then he quietly retreats again, keeping his distance from Garfiel as he begins to walk away, and leads him to the location of the next trap.

　It wasn't for nothing that he ran around the forest without sleep for two and a half days.

　--As soon as this is taken care of, I'll sleep so soundly that I never even dream.

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"Something amazing is coming"

　--I know, yes I know.

"Behind you, amazing, coming soon, coming now."

　--That's why I understand, it's something that's been taken into account.

"He's going to die. He's going to die. Poor thing."

　-- Could you please stop being so pessimistic?

　Releasing the 『Blessing of Words』, Otto ran, but constant noise filled his ears.

　These are the voices of insects, small animals, and all kinds of sentient creatures that live all over the forest, and it is an extremely difficult task to select and distinguish the ones that relate to you.

　It has been about twenty years since the 『Divine Protection of Words』 manifested, and about ten since he mastered using it. Even in that time, he has never attempted anything as reckless as this.

　When he had previously used the blessing to clear a false accusation that had been made against him, the location was still a city, albeit in the countryside, so there was a limit to the creatures that could live there.

　But, in the vastness of the forest, that number would far exceed Otto's tolerance.

　There are countless places for insects, small animals, and creatures to live in, in the air, on trees, on leaves, in the soil, on stones, etc. Listening to the voices of all the creatures hiding there is akin to having the words of over a hundred people hammered into your brain at once.

　It's not just something you hear.

　The 『Divine Protection of Words』 forced Otto to understand. In other words, Otto's brain activity was being devoted to processing everything the 『Divine Protection of Words』 picked up.

"Bu..."

　A sharp pain ran through his head, and Otto's torso shook as he quickly leaned against a tree. As he pressed his sleeve against his face to wipe the sweat away, fresh blood dripped onto it.

　I have a nosebleed. The blood running down my face is proof that my brain is working beyond its limits. My brain is groaning intermittently, and the ringing in my ears continues unabated.

"Ah, I didn't know that. So if I keep using it, this is what happens to my divine protection. It's really difficult to use... It's not just convenient, it's also troubling."

　He roughly wiped the blood from his nose and staggered off running, rubbing his brow.

　The ringing in his ears continued, but he had no intention of interrupting the divine protection. Besides, Otto would hardly be able to continue this getaway on his own.

　Just like before, there is a voice that awkwardly reports Garfiel's movements. There are eyes watching over Garfiel in place of Otto, who won't turn around.

　It is not easy to gain the cooperation of insects and animals, who have wills different from those of humans, even though we do not know what those around them think of them.

　After all, their way of thinking is different from that of humans.

　What makes them happy, what makes them dislike it. What is common sense on one side is nonsense on the other. In this situation, even if you try to negotiate, there is no way you will know what to use as your weapon.

　Moreover, even for the same insect or animal, the more intelligent it becomes, the more individual differences emerge. There are also regional differences, and it is not uncommon for the same type of insect to have completely different likes and dislikes in different areas.

　The reason Otto was now able to continue to evade the threat that was Garfiel was nothing less than the result of the time and energy he had spent preparing, even if it was only a short period of time.

　--I wonder if Subaru has found Emilia by now and been able to talk to her properly?

　The time he needed to talk to Emilia - Otto was putting himself through all this hardship just to prolong that time even a little.

　If his guesses prove wrong, or if things don't go as planned and Emilia shows no progress, then all of this futile attempt will be for naught.

　Why was he so committed to Subaru?

　While trying to distract himself from the pain, Otto suddenly had this thought.

　It is true that he saved my life and I am working with him to repay the debt.

　It's also true that he recognized me as a friend and asked for my help, so I had no choice but to cooperate.

　But was I really a man who tried so hard that I would want to go above and beyond what was asked of me just for that?

"...Ah, I see."

　At that moment, a thought suddenly crossed my mind, and that was the trigger for me to realize the reason.

　And Otto couldn't help but laugh.

　It's simple once you realize it.

　The reason why Otto trusted Subaru and lent him his strength was quite surprising.

"The sight of you giving up on the idea of ​​being understood and holding your head like that... I should have known better than anyone."

　The power of the 『Blessing of Words』, which allows one to hear voices that others cannot hear.

　Otto, who could hear the voices of other living creatures and learn things he should never have known, was disliked by many people. Now that he had lost his friends and could no longer see his family, the 『Blessing of Words』 was a useless tool for Otto, with no other use than to get through emergencies.

　However, the experiences he had thanks to having that blessing were different.

　The experience of being shunned because of the "Divine Protection of Words" taught Otto the pain of not being understood by others. He learned the frustration of not being able to fully convey what he knows to others, even when he explains it to them. It made him feel resigned to the fact that no one would understand him anyway.

　All of these things were the same as Subaru's before he confessed his woes to Otto.

　So Otto believed in Subaru, saw his past self in him, and took off.

　None other than.

　It's not just Natsuki Subaru that Otto wants to save. Through him, Otto wants to save his past self, Otto Suen.

"I found it... I found it!!"

"--!?"

　At the moment he realized this other side of his true feelings, Otto heard a voice from a different angle than the 『Divine Protection of Words』, and was hit on the shoulder and sent tumbling to the ground.

　It is pulled down and falls onto its side, then rolls away as it is caught in the soft soil.

"B-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-what...ugh!"

"What a shame!"

　I spat out the fallen leaves in my mouth and the moment I stood up, the toes of the monster dug into my torso. The air was squeezed out of my lungs and I was violently knocked to the ground again.

　My head was spinning and I couldn't think clearly. No oxygen was reaching my brain, and a pain like blood clots in my body spread through my veins.

"Even if my nose is stupid, I still have ears. Some kind of magic trick made the bugs whirl and twitch, but... this is the end."

"I, I wonder... Just catching up doesn't mean we can win the battle."

"Don't gossip. You did a great job, but... I can't waste any more of your time."

　Garfiel's feet are on my stomach as I lie on my back, barely able to put any weight on it.

　His ribs creaked, and the pressure from above was greater than the weight of Garfiel, who was supposed to be small, and Otto cried out in pain as his arms and legs thrashed about.

Ley: "If I step forward with all my might, you'll be blown to pieces. Just now, I saw me bouncing off the ground, you saw me from somewhere, right? The same thing will happen with your body. Wanna try it?"

"--Sorry, I'd like to wear it."

　Otto returned the threatening, condescending smile with a sore loser grin. Garfiel was a little put off by Otto's attitude, but,

"You've got quite a determined look on your face. If you'd only realized it before the fight, you wouldn't have had to take such a long detour."

"..."

　There was something close to praise in Garfiel's words.

　Hearing this, Otto let out a small sigh, his head turning. Garfiel narrowed his eyes as Otto continued to breathe softly and huskily.

"Until now, I would have overlooked your actions, thinking they were no big deal..."

"――――"

"The moment you got motivated, the whole forest turned against me. The first fallen leaves flew up because the insects on the underside of the leaves flew off all at once. The ones inside the dragon carriage, the mouse shitballs, the centipedes, the snakes that emerged from the fallen tree, and the ones that led the birds to the poisonous flowers must have had some kind of seed."

　Garfiel counted on his fingers the traps that had been set and the ones he had fallen into along the way.

　As he spoke, Otto continued breathing heavily.

　Just as Garfiel had seen, all of these traps had been set by Otto running around the forest, a means to weaken his opponents' energy and buy him time.

　All of them were on target and served to draw Garfiel towards them.

　However, the many wonders of nature that could not be explained away as coincidences made Garfiel realize that Otto was behind all of it, and that he was the reason why it was possible.

"I'm not good at thinking, but never giving up on thinking is what it means to live. So I thought. I thought and thought, and I came to this. The majority of the meaningless events in this world are influenced by the power of the divine protection. ――You yourself are one of those divine protections, aren't you?"

"...debt"

Subaru: "I don't know if it's the protection of the forest, or the protection of the earth, but if that's the case, it wouldn't be strange if they did something. We'll need to finish them off without any complacency or mercy whatsoever… That's why."

　When Otto didn't respond, Garfiel spoke up, kicking his trembling body as he turned around. Then, his sharp eyes narrowed with pity,

"If you're aiming at something with eyes that never give up like that, there's no way you won't notice."

"――――"

　Garfiel turns around and sees an open space in front of him, where a white light is now gathering.

　The sunlight filtering through the gaps in the trees - the completely different coloring meant that this was a place where thick, visible mana had piled up.

　Seeing the mana surge, so dense it would be sickening if he were to jump in carelessly, Garfiel frowned and looked down at Otto.

Subaru: "That's your trump card, isn't it? All those false threats up until now have been wrong. There's something about that thing that can turn me upside down. … If you could keep me trapped until the end, maybe you could have pushed me in there."

"...Ah, uh."

　Crouching down, Garfiel grabbed the groaning Otto by his collar and lifted him up.

　Otto's nostrils were once again bleeding from his nose due to brain overactivity, and Garfiel shook his head at the spectacular sight of the lower half of his face covered in blood.

"That's impressive, but you're still one step behind me. You knew your place and kept your cool."

"Is that enough for you...?"

「That's right. There's no way you could defeat me. ーーI don't know what kind of trap it was, but you can experience its power for yourself.」

　As if to say it was a tribute, Garfiel gently tosses Otto's body in his arms.

　After experiencing a brief feeling of floating after being thrown, Otto rolled across the ground without being able to defend himself, tumbling into an area dense with white mana.

　As the thick mana floated about, the contents of Otto's mind, which was already a little blurry, became contaminated.

　My eyes were spinning, my tongue was numb, and my nose was bleeding uncontrollably.

　A trap. The final trap. I was thrown into it, and then, what, what happened?

"I'll see it through to the end."

　With his arms folded, Garfiel waited for Otto's end as he collapsed.

　Lying face down and catching a glimpse of the scene out of the corner of his eye, Otto gathered his scattered thoughts and understood where he was and what he had to do.

　--The final trap had come to fruition.

"...Can I just ask you something?"

"Huh?"

　Otto put his hands on the ground and tried his best to push himself up.

　Garfiel had widened his eyes in surprise, as if he hadn't expected him to still be able to move. It made Subaru's words more clear.

　It's fun to do something that people think is impossible. It's true. It's a bad character trait, but it's true that this pleasure is hard to quit.

"Garfiel-san... how many trees did you cut down and how many holes did you dig into before you got here?"

"Dude, I don't know what you're trying to say."

"The fact that there is so much mana pooling where I am right now... that just means I've angered the forest."

　As he spoke, a sense of accomplishment made Otto forget his fatigue and pain.

　His previously shaky speech regained clarity, and Otto, sitting on the floor, looked at Garfiel.

　He uncrossed his arms and, with a look on his face that showed he had finally fallen for our trap, was about to make a move.

　But it's late.

"--Al, Dona."

　The overflowing mana circulated throughout Otto's body, and the world changed shape in response to the chant.

　--The mudslide rose up with incredible speed and force, slamming into the entire body of the slow-moving Garfiel, and blew him far into the forest.

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"Haa... haa... haa..."

　With his arms raised and trembling, Otto continued breathing with such exhaustion that it felt like his blood was mixing with his breath.

　The mana floating around had been poured into the magic and vanished.

　The mana-induced sickness had subsided, but instead a sense of fatigue was engulfing his entire body, making him feel uncomfortable and miserable.

　—The final trap Otto had set up was a simple one that was connected to the previous ones.

　In other words, as a prerequisite for gaining the cooperation of the insects and small animals living in the forest, Otto proposed that they all work together to punish the enemies that were causing trouble in the forest surrounding the settlement.

　It seems that Garfiel spent his days in the Sanctuary roaming the forest, behaving in a very arrogant manner from the point of view of the animals there.

　Sharpening their claws, chopping down trees as a form of training, and even collecting firewood for a living are acts of sabotage to animals in the long run.

　All of these little misdeeds piled up, and sadly, Garfiel was perceived by most creatures in the forest as a big, strong, bad guy.

　Otto had negotiated with the creatures of the forest to help him punish Garfiel, and if Garfiel caused further destruction to the forest while setting up numerous traps and putting them to work, the forest's inhabitants had promised to concentrate their mana in one place and lend Otto the maximum of their power.

　A visibly huge amount of mana is a "seemingly obvious thought trap."

　Garfiel, who had fallen into many traps up to this point and was now sensitive about it, avoided it, and threw Otto, who had no energy to move after all the retaliation so far, into that spot.

　Borrowing the power of the forest, he had helped Otto use more magic than he himself possessed.

　As a result, the resulting landslide hit Garfiel's entire body, dealing a decisive blow to him, who had not been able to sustain much damage up until that point.

　This was further enhanced by the fact that he had let his guard down, believing that Otto had no power to fight back.

　Everything was going according to Otto's plan.

　In other words,

"This time it's for sure..."

"--So you've run out of options as well."

　Otto's breath was heavy with disappointment, and Garfiel, peeking out from between the trees, glared at him.

　His clothes were in tatters, and there were multiple cuts from sharp stones on his exposed skin, but he seemed to have managed to protect his most important areas, like his head, and his gait didn't appear to be significantly affected.

　The difference in pure ability was greater than Otto had imagined.

"Honestly, I'm surprised."

"...is that so"

"I honestly didn't think I'd be able to make it this far. On the contrary, I assumed you'd given up and underestimated you. --Forgive me. I've done a pointless job with this man."

　Garfiel spoke with a serious look on his face, but Otto shook his head, saying there was no need for such an apology.

　All he wanted was to say, "I give up." But even though Otto's whole being and soul had fulfilled his role perfectly, it still wasn't enough to defeat Garfiel.

　Therefore, Otto's resistance ends here.

　Checking the feel of his hand, Garfiel flashes his sharp claws and this time he shows no mercy to Otto.

　Those sharp, blade-like claws would cut straight through Otto's body, taking his life, just like the sincerity he had shown to Otto.

　--Have you done everything you could?

　I feel like I gave it my all.

　Whether it was the 『Blessing of Words』, friendship, or borrowing and lending, he had given it his all.

　Since it still didn't arrive, there's nothing I can do about it.

　There was nothing Otto could do for himself.

　that's why--.

"Well then. When you wake up, everything will be sorted out."

"I guess my individual match will end here..."

"――――"

　Muttering as if he was losing his breath, Otto relaxed and closed his eyes.

　That attitude seemed far from being honorable and could not be called resignation.

"No way..."

　Garfiel shivers again, wondering if there's something else going on, and the fine hairs on his body stand on end, turning his head in alarm.

　There was no sign of anything around. If there was anything, it was――

「――――!!」

　Baring his fangs, Garfiel readied his claws and turned his head.

　He took a breath, inflating his lungs to roar, but there was a delay in his movement. His eyes widened at the sight before him, and Garfiel let out something that was not a roar with his open mouth.

　It wasn't murderous intent or hostility, it was just a name.

"Gaaf――!!"

　Above me, a shadow leaps from the trees and falls towards me.

　Her short skirt flashes as the tip of the staff she is holding is aimed at Garfiel's head.

　Mana gathers at the tip of the staff, and Garfiel screams as he watches light emanate from it.

"Why you... RAAAAAAAAAMUUUUU!!"

　The next moment, the wind blade exploded, sending a blast across the forest of Sanctuary.