Gabriel's mouth fell open at the mention of manual therapy.
Manual therapy? Isn't that like a massage you get when you're not feeling well?
'No, why would a wizard know about manual therapy in the first place? Besides, washing away toxins isn't manual therapy.'
There's a clear difference between loosening muscles or joints and expelling toxins and waste from the body.
Even someone who didn't know the full situation could tell how absurd Whiron's answer was.
"Why is everyone looking at me like that? Someone of my caliber naturally masters this kind of magic. That's why I reached the Lexer rank."
Is that so?
Cravat and Gabriel turned to Rotheron with puzzled expressions.
There was another 6th rank wizard here who could verify that.
"...Why are you looking at me like that? Anyone can see that he's the strange one."At Rotheron's words, everyone nodded in relief, as expected.
Right, that makes sense. Even for a 6th rank wizard, how could mastering such things be normal?
Whiron objected, seeming a little unfair.
"Wait, you're mastering even more unusual magic than me. It seems quite unfair that I'm the one being criticized?"
"What I've mastered is classified as special category magic."
"Well then, my magic can be classified as a special category too! Special category, muscle magic! Doesn't that sound good?"
Whiron explained the basic principles of his magic.
"It's called manual therapy, but it's just magic I came up with while looking after the bodies of faction members, so I just named it that."
"You look after faction members, and that's where this magic comes from?"
Cravat asked with a face that truly couldn't understand.
What exactly would make the master of a faction look after the bodies of its members?
"Well, our faction members work out almost every day."
"That's..."
The magic faction led by Whiron was considered almost heretical even among wizards because of how unusual it was.
They were wizards who trained their bodies more intensely than knights.
Because of this, members of Whiron's faction were easy to identify even without ID.
Everyone knew where they belonged just by looking at muscles that seemed about to burst through their clothes.
"But when they work out excessively, muscles can get damaged or joints can slip out of place. Our faction's purpose isn't simply to build muscle. The key is how well you use your body."
He was saying that they didn't build those imposing muscles simply for aesthetic purposes.
Not just muscles, but joint flexibility, muscle coordination, and cardiopulmonary endurance were also important.
"Always eating protein-heavy meals often leads to gout or general complaints. Whenever that happens, I personally help them, and I suddenly thought, 'Wouldn't it be nice to cleanly wash these away with magic?'"
That's how he created the manual therapy magic he used on Gabriel.
"It's called manual therapy, but it relaxes muscles, removes lactic acid, prevents gout, and also cleanly washes away toxins and waste from the body."
"...Why is it so practical?"
Despite its name, its performance was top-notch.
It's questionable why a muscle-bound wizard would master such a thing, but when the reason was preparation for more strength training, it made sense in its own way.
"But why are you asking about that? Was that so curious even as you were dying?"
"That magic. You explained it simply, but the actual operating principle must be very complex and difficult. Right?"
"Well, that's true. People have different constitutions, and the amount of magic power must be handled precisely accordingly. So it took quite a long time to develop. But why?"
"Then perhaps... could it help improve Rene's condition?"
Rudger was the first to respond to Gabriel's words.
"I see. I understand what you mean."
Washing away bad toxins and waste from a person's body meant making that person's body clean.
Currently, Rene’s body was in a state where space magic power and holy power were fighting and entangled.
Even if the holy power were removed, the rampaging space magic power would still remain a threat to the body.
But with Whiron's magic here, they could calm the space magic power and stabilize the body.
The possibilities were overflowing.
"Hmm. Well, I'd have to examine the girl's condition first. But it probably wouldn't be impossible in most cases."
Whiron stroked his chin, making his roughly grown beard rustle.
"I need to check."
They decided to go see immediately while on the subject.
Rene was quietly sleeping in her room.
A special automaton was in the process of changing the wet cloth on Rene's forehead.
The automaton checked the people who entered the room and quietly moved aside.
Rotheron and Whiron were curious about the automaton's appearance, which was similar to a human, but that wasn't important now.
"So this is the child."
Rotheron stared at Rene from behind his iron mask.
Magic power gathered in his eyes behind the mask, gently scanning Rene's condition.
"Her soul is unstable."
"Soul?"
Gabriel asked in surprise.
"The rampaging energy in her body is one thing, but this pure and intense power among them isn't simply innate. It's like a curse originating from deep within her bloodline. We call it soul, and this girl's soul is entangled."
Rotheron was of beastkin origin and was once a promising warrior.
The beastkin had traditionally used a power called Spirit, which harmonized with nature, and Rotheron was capable of that too.
Just like how Rudger special category [Source Magic] could be created with the help of Spirit.
"Well, I don't understand all this talk about souls, but I'm fairly confident in my knowledge of the body."
Whiron had also carefully examined Rene's condition.
"Just a moment."
After asking for permission, Whiron extended his pot-lid-sized palm toward Rene.
Magic power gathered above his palm, which stopped about 10cm above her solar plexus.
The magic power spread widely like ink diffusing in water, scanning Rene's entire body.
After finishing his examination, Whiron withdrew his magic power and spoke.
"Her physical condition is terrible. It's as if her entire body is experiencing the pain of torn muscles. It's remarkable that she's still alive and well."
"Is, is it that bad?"
"This kind of unique constitution is something even I've never seen before. But if I examine it a bit more carefully, I think I might see a way forward."
But his strength alone was not enough.
Both Rotheron and Whiron's heads turned to Rudger at the same time.
"Is it possible?"
"You can do it, teacher, right?"
They didn't know why. The reason was unclear. But somehow, they felt that Rudger could pioneer this path called possibility.
"It's possible if everyone helps."
Rudger asked Rotheron and Whiron with a desperate heart.
"So please, help us."
Rotheron and Whiron did not refuse Rudger's request.
Rotheron was already embroiled in the political struggles of the New Magic Tower, so he had no choice but to join hands with Rudger.
Whiron volunteered to help out of his sense of justice.
His sense of justice would not allow him to stand by and do nothing when a girl was in a life-threatening situation.
"I'll first check on the movements of the New Magic Tower. If we can get help from our faction, there's nothing to lose."
"Then I'll take a more detailed look at the girl's condition."
Rotheron left the hideout with those words, and Whiron began to examine Rene's condition more meticulously.
The sight of the huge Whiron carefully examining Rene created a sense of incongruity.
But Whiron hadn't reached the 6th rank through strength alone.
Naturally, theoretical knowledge is important for mastering magic to reach the 6th rank.
Despite his appearance, Whiron was quite intelligent in terms of magical knowledge.
"Having two 6th rank wizards help us makes things much more secure."
Two Lexer-rank wizards had been added to the previously uncertain team.
Moreover, these two had the skills to perfectly complement the weaknesses of Rudger, Cravat, and Gabriel.
'If we do well, no, with this, we can definitely save Rene.'
It was natural to harbor such hope.
Gabriel recalled the appearance Rudger had shown just now.
'That guy. He desperately asked those two for help.'
It was unlike Rudger.
The Rudger that Gabriel knew would have stiffly held his head high in this situation and ordered them to help or requested a deal.
'No. Is what I knew really his true self? Or was it just what I wanted to believe?'
Gabriel recalled Rudger's appearance.
That man had altruism and compassion for others beneath his cold exterior.
That's why he could go to such lengths for someone like Rene.
'But what about me?'
Gabriel's task in this operation was simple.
In the stopped world, he just needed to bring out a few designated items.
But what was the result?
He was ambushed unexpectedly and almost died.
No, it might have been better to die. If Whiron hadn't helped him then, he would have been dragged to the New Magic Tower's secret laboratory and vivisected.
'I'm too weak to be of any help.'
The emotion he felt when the poison spread throughout his body and his breathing became rapid was not fear of death but self-loathing.
This helplessness of just barely escaping and running away without being able to do anything, succumbing to mere poison.
Despite having mastered an amazing magic that deals with time, all he could do was steal and run away, making him feel utterly worthless.
'What am I doing?'
Gabriel roughly shook his head, grabbing his hair with both hands.
Just then, Cravat entered the room, saw this scene, and handed Gabriel a cup.
"Why are you moping around by yourself? Drink this."
"What is this?"
"It's an antidote juice. You were poisoned with paralysis toxin, right? Even if the poison was washed away with emergency treatment, some traces might remain in your body. This will make you feel better."
"...Thank you."
Gabriel politely accepted the cup with both hands and drank its contents.
Cravat quietly watched.
Looking at Gabriel's downcast eyes, it was easy to tell that he was suffering from something alone.
It's nothing to do with me anyway.
Cravat tried to let it go, but Gabriel's previous words lingered in his mind.
He had mentioned having some history with Rudger Chelici.
'Ah, this is annoying. If I hadn't heard it from the beginning, I wouldn't care, but now that I've come this far, it's hard to just let it go.'
Scratching his head, Cravat found himself taking on the role of a counselor, something he wasn't cut out for.
"So, what's the problem this time?"
Gabriel's hand trembled as he was putting down the empty cup after finishing the antidote juice.
"...I just feel so powerless."
But this time, he didn't hide it.
Maybe he had been waiting for Cravat to ask about this.
"What's making you feel powerless?"
"I was the only one who almost got caught. Getting poisoned and just running away, too weak to fight. I'm not even sure if I'm really helping Rene at this point."
"Well, with that magic, it certainly wouldn't be helpful in combat. But that's no reason to be so self-deprecating, is it? Time-stopping magic could have countless applications in other directions."
"Maybe. But I'm afraid of my magic."
"Afraid?"
"Do you know what it feels like to age alone in a world where everyone else is stopped?"
Concerns that Gabriel had kept inside for a long time flowed out.
"Every time I use this, I move further ahead than others. 1 minute, 1 second. As it accumulates, it becomes days, months, and eventually years."
"That's what time magic is about."
"That's why I'm scared. I'm afraid of the day when I'll be too far ahead of others and become nothing. I'm afraid my end will be like my master's."
Gabriel still remembers his master's end.
With a body in its 80s at the age of 40, and finally dying miserably with dementia from a damaged brain.
The idealist who always said time magic was wonderful and should be used for righteous causes met a miserable end.
Gabriel had witnessed the entire process and result from close by.
"He deceived an innocent, naive boy into learning this magic, saying it was the greatest magic of all, but in the end, he himself died so disgracefully. How do you think I felt watching that?"
Far from respect, there was only the primal instinct of not wanting to live like that.
That's why Gabriel didn't use time magic to help others.
He used it for his own advancement, and even then, only for gambling or petty theft.
It was his rebellion against tarnishing this time magic.
"But what's even more terrible is that I couldn't protect the person I loved with this magic."
Gabriel stared at his palm quietly.
"I could only watch her die, in a world where time was stopped."
Gabriel was recalling the past of that day.
The day when Rudger killed Rene's mother.