Chapter 104: The Script Part 7

Thanks to my ingenious tactic, we escaped from Lobelia’s grasp.

However, as long as the sniper remained, we couldn’t afford to let our guard down.

Stan Robinhood. Compared to Lobelia or Ariel, he wasn’t a particularly powerful enemy, but he was more troublesome than anyone else.

“…Where the hell is he shooting from?”

Jeff grumbled after deflecting another incoming arrow.

Creta was now so far behind that the city’s outline had completely vanished.

Yet the arrows kept coming.

Always from ahead of us.

They flew in with terrifying speed from unseen locations, making it impossible to tell where they originated.

“Kh!”

Jeff struck down another arrow that pierced through his holy barrier.

The arrows were gaining strength. Was he getting closer?

Or had he changed tactics entirely from capture to kill?

This unexpected resistance was dragging things out.

Lobelia seemed to have given up the chase, likely to focus on Loki and Theseus.

But with Yuna gone, finding a hidden sniper like this with just the rest of us was virtually impossible.

“He’s more persistent than I expected… This is way beyond what I anticipated.”

“There’s always a hole somewhere in your plans.”

Melana grumbled.

These damned couples kept taking turns complaining to me.

“If the plan didn’t go straight into the trash at the start, I’d call it a win.”

Still, by now we had gained some distance, and it seemed like a good idea to find cover and hide.

“Hmm?”

But then, I realized, there was no need for that anymore.

“Jeff, no need to put up the barrier anymore.”

“What? Based on what, exactly?”

“You’ll see. No more arrows are coming our way now.”

“…Alright, I’ll trust you.”

At my words, Jeff dispelled the holy barrier and just like that, the attacks that had been flying at us ceased as if it had all been a lie.

“What just happened? Ah! The enemy must’ve been detecting our holy energy! So when we dropped the barrier, he couldn’t pinpoint our location anymore! I’m right, aren’t I?”

“…No?”

What nonsense was that? Stan Robinhood didn’t have abilities like that. He was just a highly skilled sniper, nothing more.

“The arrows stopped because of this.”

I pointed to the spider-shaped mechanical device now perched on my shoulder.

Emily must’ve attached it again at some point without me noticing…

Honestly, I wanted to scold her for it, but thanks to this, we were saved.

Stan would probably even play dead if Emily told him to.

She must’ve figured out our situation and ordered him to stand down.

“Whatever it is, your deus ex machina solved the problem, huh?”

“That’s right.”

“Then good enough.”

With that, the danger had passed.

Of course, we’d still need to erase our traces and fabricate an alibi…

But at this point, we were probably free from Loki’s threat.

“…By the way.”

Now that I was sure we were out of immediate danger, a thought suddenly struck me—

What had happened to Yuna?

“What on earth was she thinking?”

Even if she seemed impulsive at times, Yuna was thoughtful and calculating.

She might’ve had some plan I didn’t know about.

***

Long after Johan’s group had escaped Lobelia’s grasp, Yuna continued to toy with Ariel.

“Hyup-cha!”

When it came to offensive capabilities and firepower, Ariel definitely had the upper hand.

However, she simply couldn’t land a hit on Yuna.

Part of it was Yuna’s swift movements. But more than that, she often felt like she wasn’t even there, even when standing right in front of Ariel.

And then there were the occasional taunts.

Ariel knew full well that those words were meant to throw her off…

So annoying!

But knowing something in your head and accepting it in your heart were two different things.

Especially for Ariel, who had harbored hostility toward Yuna from the very beginning.

“I think that’s enough. Why don’t we call it here, young lady?”

“Grrk…!”

Ariel was already gasping for breath, while Yuna hadn’t even broken her rhythm. Her uncomfortable clown outfit hadn’t so much as shifted out of place.

“Who says it’s over?”

“Hmm? Isn’t it usually up to the stronger one? Or do you think you get to decide that, Lady Ariel?”

“You…!”

“Well, I’m half-joking. Still, must be tough fighting with those side effects, right?”

“……”

Yuna’s specialty was blending into her surroundings and hiding her presence.

It worked best in a crowd, but even in a landscape filled with rocks and trees, it wasn’t particularly difficult.

She could make herself look like just another element in the scenery, like a figure in a landscape painting.

Still, no matter how well someone could blend into their environment, there were always limits.

“Your eyesight’s not good, is it? That’s a side effect of the transcendence syndrome treatment, right?”

“…No.”

“Puhihi, you’re a terrible liar.”

Ever since taking the treatment for her transcendence syndrome, Ariel had often felt like her head was wrapped in fog.

It was a side effect.

No….technically speaking, the treatment hadn’t cured the disease.

It had merely sealed it off, put a lid on it.

In the process of forcibly dragging her back from what should’ve been her fiery end, that fog had crept into her mind.

“You gonna lie like that in front of the doctor too?”

“……”

Yuna had seen right through it.

Not that this whole stunt had been just to confirm that, but…

“Whatever the case, you’d only get in the way if you stayed here, young lady. I think you’re starting to understand what I mean now, right?”

“……”

While Yuna was speaking to her, the fog that clouded Ariel’s mind began to clear…just a little.

And with that clarity, she began to understand the meaning behind Yuna’s words.

“We had to be complete strangers back there.”

“…So that’s why you provoked me.”

To deceive Loki, Johan had chosen to force a breakthrough against Lobelia.

But the situation had been too convenient, and Lobelia’s initial response had been to talk.

If they wanted to fool Loki completely, they had to put on a convincing show.

“You saved us.”

“……”

“It’s thanks to you showing all those dark emotions you had bottled up, Lady Ariel.”

Ariel’s killing intent had spread so thickly it was almost palpable.

While Yuna could easily fake that kind of bloodlust, Ariel wasn’t nearly as good at pretending.

If she had acted even slightly unnatural in that moment, Loki might have grown suspicious.

That’s why Yuna had provoked her. That was to draw out her hostility and lure her far from the original location.

Because Ariel had gone all out in her attacks, no one would have questioned the enmity between them.

Even Johan himself had believed the fight was genuine.

And there was more.

Yuna had also proven her own strength.

She left behind undeniable evidence that she wasn’t just an empty name. She had thoroughly toyed with someone nearly on par with an Archmage.

That kind of power added credibility to the group’s existence.

“Well, it seemed like you really thought you could beat me, young lady.”

“……”

Ariel pouted but gave a small nod.

Yes, she had thought she could win.

She had never met anyone her age stronger than herself.

Even the Third Princess Lobelia, whom she served, was a step below her.

That confidence had been completely shattered by Yuna today.

Blaming it on the side effects of the transcendence syndrome treatment wouldn’t cut it—

Yuna had moved with far too much ease and control for that excuse to hold water.

“Well, what can I say? I’m a genius. I kept growing even while you were standing still.”

In a straight-up fight, Yuna wouldn’t normally have been able to beat Ariel.

Their combat styles weren’t compatible that way.

However, Yuna also felt the need to hone herself through encounters with powerful opponents like Tillis and Faust.

It’s not like she spent all her time playing around.

She was the type of person who, even when asking Johan to hang out, would always suggest the training grounds as the meeting place. She was that dedicated to self-discipline.

“…Just wait and see.”

“Hmm?”

“If Johan cures my illness, someone like you will be easy to beat.”

“Oh really?”

Yuna burst into laughter, clutching her stomach at Ariel’s declaration of war.

Her exaggerated reaction only made Ariel more irritated.

“Puhihihi! Try it if you can.”

Yuna disappeared with a mocking laugh.

***

While Yuna was playing with Ariel—

Lobelia, who had been left behind after losing track of Johan’s group, brushed her hair back and headed toward the trade city of Creta.

From her point of view, she had let some suspicious individuals slip away. It wouldn’t be surprising if Loki mocked her for it.

But…

“Well now, our dear second brother doesn’t look too happy.”

“You…”

It was Lobelia who smiled. True, she had lost track of Johan’s group.

It had been a surprise move, but if she had really wanted to, continuing the pursuit wouldn’t have been impossible.

Had she pushed on without giving up, it probably wouldn’t have taken even five minutes to catch them.

But she didn’t.

The reason, of course, was—

“My neck was burning so much that I just couldn’t focus, you see?”

“You incompetent fool…”

“Oh, I’m terribly sorry, dear brother. Was there any particular reason I had to catch them? Suspicious, sure….but did they commit a crime?”

“Tch…”

“No, if anything, they helped mediate our fight. We should be grateful.”

“Then I was about to make a terrible mistake.”

At Lobelia’s sarcasm, Loki clicked his tongue, while Theseus praised them for how they handled things.

And so, the three most prominent candidates for the next emperor came together.

Theseus who had let go of everything yet still commanded the support of the people.

Loki, who everyone was afraid of but was more thorough than anyone else.

And Lobelia who seemed to be a blend of the two.

“Lobelia, I doubt you came just to see me. What brings you all the way here?”

It was the eldest brother who spoke first.

Compared to Loki, Lobelia was the more agreeable one, so Theseus found it easier to open up to her.

“I was worried, you see. Our dear second brother said something so out of character, I thought he might be planning something drastic.”

“Out of character? What did Loki say?”

“He actually asked after my well-being while I was away on vacation.”

“Huh! That actually happened?”

Theseus’s eyes went wide in mock astonishment at Lobelia’s sarcastic remark.

Anyone could see they were putting on a bit of a performance.

“Tch.”

Loki clicked his tongue again and turned his back on the two.

The plan had failed. Originally, he had meant to break both of them at once, Lobelia included, having summoned her for that very purpose.

But the first step had already gone wrong.

Plans, after all, are often the first thing thrown in the trash the moment they begin.

Loki decided not to cling to it.

He’d had far more successes than failures.

There would be another chance. And if not, he’d simply make one just like he did today.

But first, there was something he needed to deal with…

“Those damn clowns…”

He had to track down and eliminate the ones carrying the antidote.

“Hmm. It looks like Loki plans to head back. What about you, Lobelia?”

“Well, wouldn’t I just be an unwelcome guest to our dear brother?”

“Now, come on. I’d never treat family like an intruder.”

“And what if I’m not family, but imperial family?”

“…That might be awkward.”

“I thought so.”

Theseus had completely withdrawn from the struggle for the throne.

However, his influence remained strong, and if he were to throw his support behind one side, it would likely shift the balance dramatically.

Of course, that moment would also mark the end of the cold war.

Theseus’s support was a formidable force and at the same time, a trigger.

And the one who understood that best was Theseus himself.

“In that case, may I trouble you for a cup of tea?”

“Tea, you say?”

Under normal circumstances, Lobelia would have walked away without a second glance.

But today was different.

“My companion seems a bit worn out, so I don’t think we can head back right away.”

Lobelia gestured to Ariel, who had just arrived at Creta.

Just as Lobelia said, Ariel looked visibly exhausted, walking slowly while half leaning on her staff.

It was likely due to the toll taken by her battle with Yuna.

“And I’d also like to hear more about the clowns I missed. Honestly, I’m starting to wonder if the real clown here might be me.”

She had chased the truth of the incident with everything she had only to find it already resolved.

What’s more, it was Johan who had supposedly confined himself to his cradle who cleaned it up.

Whatever change of heart he had, it left her feeling empty.

“I’m not sure what you mean, but… I suppose it’s worth knowing. They’re my benefactors, after all. I wouldn’t want to see you clash with them over some needless misunderstanding.”

“Well, I’m not entirely ungrateful. It was worth it just to see our dear second brother’s face again after so long.”

“You really ought to work on that personality of yours.”

Lobelia shrugged and walked off to help the weary Ariel in the distance.

Theseus watched his sister’s retreating figure as he began tending to the unconscious girl.

No matter what was said from here on, the direction forward had already been set.

“Well, this is something…”

Theseus looked around at the half-destroyed hospital. It was the place he’d wrecked while fighting to protect the girl.

“I suppose I’ll need to think about what kind of face I’ll show the old man.”