I’m not a hero!

“Air Ability! Area attack! Tornado!!!”

I rotated my body, spinning my feet like a dancer, and quickly moved my arms, gesturing toward the air. This created a small tornado that rose into the sky.

The strong spiral wind protected us inside, preventing the technique outside from advancing inward.

“That was close,” I said, pointing my hands in opposite directions as Mr. Bricius, sitting next to me, found that the grass around him was green and did not change color.

“Why didn’t you use the Denial Ability?” he said.

“Wouldn’t work…” I said.

I expanded the rotation of my aura in the air around me by three square meters, creating an area that could protect us. However, all my technique did was move the wind outside away with the rotation.

“What do you mean by that?”

I looked at him and replied, “I believe this technique cannot be denied. All I could do was spend half my energy so that I could divert the technique steadily with the rotation of my Tornado technique.”

“Did you see who executed the technique? Was it that other guy who got away?”

“No, I suspect from the movements of birds before in the city that this technique was executed much earlier, further west.”

“Huh? From so far away? What does that mean?” He was shocked, then calmed down. “What’s going on here?”

From inside, we could not see very well what was happening outside, but we could see the contrast: the black vegetation where the technique advanced, drying and killing everything toward the east.

“Do you think this enemy is near?” he said.
“No, I don’t think that’s the case.”

“What do you mean? Who could use a technique with such a wide range? Who would have so much energy?”

“Probably no one, so I think it’s something else. This is an extremely complex technique.”

“How so? Explain better…”

“Before this technique came close enough, I noticed from the sea air currents that this power may have been executed by someone at least 10 km away, probably more.”
“What makes you think that?”
“The movements of the coastal area birds.”
“Why would they do something like that?”
“I don’t know, but by the degree of reach of that, we’re probably not the targets, at least not the only ones.”
“…Why would people do something like that in a place like this?”
I looked at him for a moment.
“As I said before, it was not people but someone, a person.”
“Huh? Impossible for anyone to have so much energy and power, especially in this region.”
“By the energy I felt from this person, there is no doubt that it was just one who executed a technique of triple combination of abilities.”
“Are you saying this is the work of a Magus?”

Magus are known as the most able humans in the world and bearers of unique techniques, with combinations of three abilities generating another new and unique Ability that are only developed once in history, this Ability is a 'trialism'. Only one in ten million are born with this potential. However, no new Magus has emerged in more than 35 years.

“Probably yes, and that must be a new one or someone unknown, an enemy of the empire of Mora, for he is attacking this region.”

“But even if he is a Magus, could he execute a power with such range?”

“Sorry, but yes, Magus are individuals known as bearers of the powers of God.”

“We have to go east,” I said. “I can keep the rotation and move the tornado while we’re inside, but my technique won’t last forever.”

“You…” he said nervously, following me as we walked. “Do you think this technique will reach my farm or stop before?”
I stopped walking, looked at him, and replied, “I think you didn’t understand. No, I don’t think I was clear. Sorry to say, but this technique will never stop. Not naturally, even if someone kills the user of the technique.”

He was perplexed, and I kept talking:
“By the way it spreads, it would technically, have so much energy. However, this technique is different. It’s self-sufficient. I believe this based on what we saw in one of the bandits' bodies. It kills everything that is alive, then creates black flowers and exhales bright pollen from the bodies.”

“It is a cycle. As long as it has a living being, it will continue to spread over the land towards the east of Nniatabri. And the only one who can stop him faster is another Magus, which doesn’t exist in this place.”
I looked forward and walked:
“The Mora Empire will probably send one of their Magus to combat and stop the technique, but it’s nighttime, they’ll probably know that only tomorrow, and until they act I’ll probably be out of energy, the only way to survive and go to a big city with users of protective seals that can delay the process of advancing the technique or escape by sea, where the technique does not work or if it works, their advance is minimal. We are closer to the sea, so we have to go.”

He held me by the shoulder and asked, “Tell me, we are closer to the sea of the West, aren’t we? Where is it likely that the enemy is? If we go there, can we make him cancel the technique? Is he tired, right? Why didn’t you consider that?”

“How so? It’s suicide to approach the execution area of the technique without knowing if he is alone or not. Besides, its execution power is stronger, and this can accelerate the deterioration of the barrier I made. What would I gain by risking my life like that?”

“Risk life, you say, but you don’t realize my situation is not. The way this Ability spreads, even if we were to run towards the farm, my daughter, my employees, everyone will be reached by this power before we look there, correct?”

I looked at him and said, “Yes, I’m sorry for this.” Then I turned my face forward and walked.

He stood still without moving and asked a question:
“Tell me, is there any way to reach the farm before this technique gets there?”

I stopped walking and said after a few seconds, “…Together, no. I alone maybe,” I replied, turning my face in his direction.

“How would you do that?” he said.

I looked up and said, “We are in the eye of a tornado. I would have to project myself upwards at the maximum and increase the rotation. Near the top, I could twist the summit of the tornado and throw myself westward. From there, I would use my speed and Air control to move through the sky as fast as possible while controlling the fall.”

“Would that work?”

“I don’t know…” I replied, lowering my face and looking at him. “…That idea is something I just thought about now. I would say that I would have a 50% chance of succeeding.”

“So I ask you, please leave me here and save my daughter!”

Why?

“Why? What kind of question is that? What father wouldn’t want to sacrifice himself for his daughter?”

“That’s not what I meant…” I made a face of indifference. “Don’t get me wrong, I saved you because you’re my boss and because I care a little about Mr. Bricius. You’ve always treated me and paid me well, but why would I do something so risky? What would I gain by doing it?”

He looked at me with sadness.

“If this is not stopped in time, all the people of the village and the country could be killed, and the way it was executed is the goal. You don’t mind at all and save someone? Isn’t there anyone else special for you here?”

“Don’t get me wrong, I don’t hate anyone or anything like that. I just don’t care. I can’t care about anything other than my current desires. Risking even more after what’s going on doesn’t make sense. I’m no hero or anything like that… I’m only a survivor.”

“I see. With this situation, I had even forgotten about it, and there’s no reason why you should cover up or deny it if I ask, right?”
He looked at me with a melancholy look.

“You were part of Mora’s empire, right?”

That caught me off guard. I didn’t expect it.