Love Letter From The Future

So much so that she was reluctant to recount her childhood’s painful wounds in detail. After all, she was once the girl who proudly declared herself as the family’s fighting dog.

Yet, it was this very Elsie who, for the first time in her life, defied her family’s will.

It was only recently.

The battlefield where she faced the Underling of the Evil God was soaked in blood and harsh cries.

Noise, screams, shrieks.

They were all sounds she wished not to hear. The battle, which involved a thousand brave soldiers, the Rinella family’s magic corps, and the elites from each army, was that fierce.

The enemy was an immortal monster that would rise again even if it was struck down.

It was impossible for anyone not to be afraid.

Humans naturally fear the incomprehensible. What’s more, the Corpse Giant’s appearance was nothing short of grotesque.

Elsie too was equally afraid.

It was an opponent that not even the Saintess could defeat despite having performed a large-scale ritual. It would not be an exaggeration to say that there seemed to be no hope.

Yet, Elsie couldn’t bring herself to give up.

She had already resolved that if she was destined to die a dog’s death, it would be here. As long as Ian’s life was still intact she would not retreat.

The real problem however, was with Reynold.

The enhanced spell that bound the corpse giant centered around him. If it was forcibly severed, Reynold would have to bear the full brunt of the backlash.

When Elsie saw Reynold coughing up blood, she cried out in panic.

“Uncle!”

“Urgh… I’m fine, Elsie.”

Despite the sudden injury, he remained utterly composed.

He had been through countless battles up until now.

Since becoming an Archmage, the number of crises he faced significantly decreased, but his experiences of brushing with death as a mercenary were not in vain. 𝖗

In fact, he even went as far as to scold Elsie.

“Focus instead. We’re the only ones who can cover Young Master Ian.”

“B-But that fiend can even break through the enhanced spell of the mage corps…!”

“An opportunity will definitely come.”

Reynold firmly grasped her shoulder.

His blue eyes burned like ghostly flames amidst the snowstorm.

“…Isn’t this the destiny you chose?”

Elsie eventually bit her lip and began channelling mana through her blood vessels.

In truth, she wasn’t in a position to worry about others.

Her blood vessels had long been torn in several places from her reckless use of mana. The intense pain from these internal injuries radiated throughout her body.

And the more she circulated her mana, the pain only worsened.

Her nerve endings screamed in agony, and her eyes felt like they were about to burst from the blood rushing to them.

There had been many times when she wanted to collapse in tears.

But Elsie couldn’t allow herself to and ultimately, remained standing.

Watching her, Reynold quietly offered some advice.

“You need to prepare a decisive blow.”

“…I know.”

That was the role of a mage, after all.

However, Elsie wasn’t sure how much her magic would help.

The opponent had even broken through an array created by a 6th Circle Archmage using the combined strength of a corp.

As a mere 5th-circle mage, there didn’t seem to be much she could do.

All she could do was trust in Ian and hope for a critical opening to appear.

Right, that man had always been strong and unyielding.

She, once again, had no choice but to trust him.

It was then that Reynold placed his palm on Elsie’s back.

Startled, Elsie tried to turn around, but his thunderous voice stopped her.

“Focus!”

Elsie instinctively stiffened and extended her hand forward.

In front of her, geometric patterns began to take shape.

“I’ll guide your mana… It will make things easier. Or, if you want, I can even increase the output.”

Though that would make it more painful.

Before he could finish that last part, Elsie, without hesitation, chose to increase the output.

Crackle—the air began to spark with electricity.

Reynold watched her and stifled a bitter laugh.

Love was indeed terrifying.

He had once been the same.

That’s why Reynold decided not to withhold any advice from his niece.

“Focus your senses so that you don’t miss even the smallest detail…”

Panting, Elsie’s eyes widened in shock.

The mana ring within her heart, now pushed to its limit, was spinning furiously.

As her senses heightened, so did the pain.

Elsie gritted her teeth and forcibly swallowed the scream that threatened to escape.

But beyond that pain, something was there.

A faint light flickered in her blue eyes.

Mana circulated through her entire body so intensely that it became visible outside of her physical form.

She was overloading.

Like a string breaking, she felt one of her blood vessels burst with a snap.

Elsie couldn’t hold the screams back anymore.

“AGH, KYAAAAAAAACK!”

“Do you want to give up?”

Reynold asked, his tone almost taunting.

“You’re free to quit. Just stop being stubborn and follow the family’s decision.”

Elsie gritted her teeth, her eyes bloodshot.

Of course she absolutely had no intention of doing that.

The more she resisted, the faster time seemed to pass.

Before long, she could taste the metallic tang of blood in her mouth. But she didn’t care, her gaze remained fixed on a single point on the battlefield.

She could see it—something.

At the end of the pain stabbing through her spine, Elsie gasped and her eyes widened.

It was an utterly unexpected scene.

“…Can you see it? That is a fragment of truth.”

Reynold said with a satisfied voice, as if he had expected this outcome.

But even as she heard his words, Elsie’s expression only grew more bewildered.

In the midst of her ragged breathing, she wanted to slowly shake her head.

No, it wasn’t.

That scene was not some fragment of truth.

It was a girl’s memory.

Densely grown trees spread out on either side. In the drowsy sunlight, the girl harboured feelings of affection, fell in love and eventually had her feelings reciprocated.

At the end of those moving scenes was a burning forest.

“F-Finally, I protected…”

Tearfully, she whispered those heartfelt words as she caressed the man’s cheek.

“…my precious person.”

It was clearly someone else’s memory.

Yet, as the voice seeped into her ears, the ring in her heart began to spin even more intensely.

Even Reynold was taken aback by the overwhelming surge of mana.

And that’s how the enhanced spell “Array of Heavenly Thunder” was conjured.

An enhanced spell of the 6th Circle held terrifying power even on its own.

No matter how formidable the Underling of the Evil God was, it would be unable to resist it in its weakened state.

It all felt unfamiliar.

She threw herself onto the battlefield, risking her life for someone else.

She pushed her body to the limit to bring an unbeatable foe to its knees.

And at the end of that struggle, she conjured an enhanced spell.

She hadn’t yet reached the level of an Archmage.

But the beginning of that path was clearly in sight now.

If she kept walking, she knew she would eventually reach it.

Elsie was in a daze.

It was the first time she accomplished something on her own, without relying on her family.

So Elsie was overjoyed, and more than that, she was relieved.

Now, she could finally be embraced by Ian.

Her family’s will no longer mattered.

Whether they proceeded with the engagement or not, Elsie would stand by Ian’s side, out of her own free will.

That unwavering truth brought her endless joy.

But when he collapsed, she nearly broke down.

Every night, she would either silently cry or sit dazed until she would eventually black out.

She even resorted to praying to a god she had never believed in her whole life.

Lord, please help that useless milkbag bitch….no, the Saintess, heal my master. If you do, I swear I’ll become a devout follower of the Church of the Heavenly God.

Perhaps it was because those efforts paid off?

Ian eventually regained consciousness and, for a while, Elsie was lost in a sweet dream.

Rather than living as the family’s fighting dog, she would gladly become Ian’s loyal pet.

That resolve still held true and Elsie had no doubt that her wish would come true.

At least, until she spoke with Ian today.

She had things she wanted to say, but her mind suddenly went completely blank, leaving her unable to utter a word.

All she could do was clench her fists and stammer out a few broken sounds.

“Ah, uh, ah…”

“Really, is it that shocking?”

Of course it was.

Hadn’t Ian confidently promised her before?

That he would love her for the rest of their lives.

Elsie firmly believed in that promise, enough to abandon her family and walk away.

But how could this happen?

She even risked her life fighting!

Elsie couldn’t hold back the tears that welled up in her eyes.

She felt like an abandoned puppy.

Her shoulders slumped in utter despair.

At this point, even Ian couldn’t help but feel flustered.

He hurriedly tried to console her.

“I mean, Senior Elsie… there’s still your social reputation to consider.”

“B-But Master is more important to me than my social reputation!”

Her tone was ambiguous, somewhere between formal and informal speech.

With a smack, Ian placed his hand on his forehead.

Now that he thought about it, what he had said was rather audacious.

Elsie’s social standing already plummeted long ago.

It was far too late to try and restore it now.

Yet, Ian continued his attempt to reason with her.

“And then, there’s also the honour of the Rinella family to consider…”

“B-But I already abandoned my family!”

Now it was Ian’s turn to be completely stunned.

Hearing her tearful words, he rubbed his eyes and had to ask again.

“…What did you just say?”

“I said I abandoned it, my family… for you, Master.”

What kind of nonsense is this?

Ian’s eyes were filled with such blatant confusion as he stared at Elsie.

Regardless, Elsie simply wore a sad expression and hung her head low.

The girl’s mournful murmur followed.

“B-But how could you…”

Tears welled up in her moist blue eyes.

It was a situation that made Ian look like a complete jerk.

Regardless of his intention.

The scene playing out was that of a girl who had abandoned her family for him, only for Ian to suddenly break up with her.

When all he had done was ask her to stop calling him ‘Master.’

Yet Elsie trembled as if she’d just been heartbroken.

She looked like she was about to explode if left alone.

In the end, she couldn’t hold back and raised her voice.

“Hey, you jerk! After all I’ve sacrificed for you… huh?!”

It would have gotten worse if Ian had not reached out and gently caressed her chin.

Elsie immediately let out a strange whimper and melted into his touch.