We were able to escape from the Under Chain’s base with the Oracle’s help before Faust could notice us.
At this point, Faust has probably realized that I’m still alive.
He was already wary of me, and now he’ll be even more on guard. Especially since I endured the curse he cast on me.
“Huh? You’re back already?”
The place we arrived at via teleportation was the Misfits’ hideout.
At first, I considered heading to the battlefield, but if our timing was even slightly off, there was a risk of running into Faust directly, so I decided to return to our original location instead.
Having come back empty-handed, the first thing I did was decide to tear down my grave.
“Get rid of this now.”
“Aw, come on.”
At my declaration, Dietrich clicked his tongue in disappointment.
I think this is the first time I’ve ever seen him complain about something I said.
I didn’t realize he’d grown so attached to this grave. Or was he subtly wishing I’d just died sooner?
I’ll choose to believe that’s not the case.
“Did everything go well? This must be the friend you mentioned, right? Hmm, someone fitting for you, teacher…”
Helena muttered as she looked at Count Python, who was too exhausted to speak and was leaning against the wall.
“Helena, that’s enough.”
I’m not going to tolerate any further insults.
No matter who you are, I can’t forgive you for lumping me together with this guy as friends.
“He’s not your friend? Then why did you bring him here?”
“I just happened to pick him up while running away. Good kids shouldn’t talk to bad people, okay?”
“……”
“Helena, I’m not a bad person. Say something.”
“That standard is a bit too hard to understand.”
“How is it?”
It’s perfectly clear.
You can tell just by looking at someone’s face.
“Anyway, would you like to wash up first? Both you and your… not-friend are covered in blood.”
“Yeah, good idea.”
“I’ll pass. I’ll just be on my way. I can’t expect bathing facilities in a place this filthy.”
“You’re even ruder than teacher. Then at least receive treatment before you go. I’ll only charge you 20 gold coins.”
She usually charges around 10 gold.
Still, it seems Helena has a good eye for people. Count Python is famous for being wealthy, so he’s worth squeezing for money.
“Put it on my tab.”
“You’re planning not to pay after saying that, right? I know because my teacher does that all the time. Every time I find 1 gold in your pockets, I’ll permanently remove one strand of that proud mustache of yours.”
“I’ll pay.”
That’s terrifying.
Only then did I realize. Helena had been going easy on me this whole time.
“I don’t know who taught her, but she was trained very thoroughly.”
That was probably Cattleya. No one matches her when it comes to business sense.
“Thank you for the treatment, young lady. I’ll be on my way now.”
With that, Count Python received treatment from Helena and left the hideout.
“He’s a suspicious person. Even though I used divine power on him, he didn’t say anything.”
“Yeah. Just in case, we should consider relocating our base.”
After all, he’s someone closely connected to the imperial family. If Count Python were to report Helena’s existence to the emperor, it could turn into a serious problem.
Feeling uneasy, I washed the blood off for now.
“Alright, I’ll head out right away.”
“Are your injuries okay?”
“Mhmm, I wasn’t hurt this time. It’s all the enemies’ blood.”
“……”
Helena looked up at me with concern. It didn’t seem like she was worried about me being hurt, but rather that I had killed enough people to be drenched in blood.
Even so, she’s still the Oracle. She couldn’t hide what she was feeling.
“I want to check how Yuna and the front lines are doing. I’ll get going.”
If what Count Python said is true, there’s a high chance the battle against the Under Chain ended in defeat. There’s no one better than Faust when it comes to overwhelming weaker opponents.
I just hope nothing went wrong.
With a sense of urgency, I turned toward the battlefield.
It didn’t take long. The Oracle guided me there again.
I’ve really been putting her through a lot today.
***
“How dreadful.”
The battlefield I arrived at with the Oracle’s help could only be described as devastating.
I had expected it, but even among the Guillotine Knights, there were casualties.
Despite being an elite force, it looked like about a third of the gathered knights had died.
“Oh, strategist. You’re still alive?”
“That guy’s tougher than he looks. I thought he was fragile, but I guess not.”
The knights who spotted me joked around as they spoke. Even though their comrades had died in droves, they didn’t seem particularly downcast. It just showed how worn down they were.
In a way, it was a chilling image. Perhaps what the students of the Cradle might ultimately become.
Living ghosts. Alive, yet no different from the dead.
“Where’s Her Highness?”
“If you head straight that way, you’ll see her. By the way, what have you been up to? What happened to your clothes?”
“I infiltrated the Under Chain’s stronghold while faking my death.”
And still ended up coming back like this.
“Wow, our strategist. I thought you were just a parachute hire, but you’ve got some guts.”
The knights laughed as they slapped my back. It hurt. About as much as when Lobelia hit me.
That meant their physical abilities, excluding awakened abilities, were on Lobelia’s level.
Monsters really are monsters.
I passed by the knights, who in some ways even seemed almost innocent.
“Your Highness.”
“You’ve come? My apologies. It seems I’m still too weak. I couldn’t even hold back the Great Sage.”
“Ah, it’s fine. I was planning to return anyway. You can think of it as us calling him over.”
“Is that so…”
“I heard the Great Sage has transcended death.”
“……”
“And that even the Power of Destruction wasn’t effective?”
“That’s right.”
Lobelia lowered her head.
Blood gathered along her hair and dripped down.
Regardless of results, she was always the one who stepped forward and took the most risk.
That was who Lobelia was.
“Mr. Johan, you’re here.”
“Prince Theseus, you don’t look too good either. Was he that strong?”
“Yes… he was on a completely different level than before. He had so many hidden tricks that we couldn’t even capitalize on the opportunity Lobelia created.”
Theseus let out a bitter smile.
But unlike his expression, his insides were probably rotting away.
For him, wasn’t this the first opponent he had lost to besides the Emperor?
And moreover…
“He was there.”
“……”
“Honestly, even in death, he’s still such a pain to deal with.”
“I know, right.”
There was a high chance he had encountered Deus, the Wonder Mage.
“Thankfully, he didn’t join the fight… but it’s still hard not to be concerned.”
“Well, it can’t be helped. He’s like family, isn’t he.”
Theseus continued to wear a bitter smile. It was hard to describe. He almost seemed like someone who didn’t know how to express complicated emotions other than by smiling.
“By the way, where are Ariel and Yuna?”
“The two of them withdrew from the battlefield first. Yuna was badly injured, so she needed to be transported urgently. They headed to the Misfits’ base, so you should be able to meet them if you go there.”
“…Is she badly hurt?”
“It’s not serious enough to worry about.”
Lobelia gave a faint smile as she reassured me. As expected of siblings, even the way they smiled was similar.
Of course, that wasn’t something I could say out loud. The moment I did, I’d probably get punched.
Anyway, it seemed like I had just missed the two of them.
Well, I suppose it couldn’t be helped, since I came over in an instant using the Oracle’s power.
“For now, we’re planning to withdraw as well once things are settled. After that… I’m not sure.”
“Lobelia.”
Theseus called out to Lobelia, who looked somewhat uncertain.
“If you don’t have a plan, why not go see Cynthia?”
“…My sister?”
“Yes. I think you could use her help right now.”
“You knew where she was?”
“Well, we did run away together, after all…”
Theseus scratched his head.
Now that I think about it, Cynthia must be the Second Princess who left the imperial family long ago.
She never appeared in the game, and aside from mentions that she was living her own life in some remote place, far removed from the imperial family, even I didn’t really know where she was.
“My sister and my brother are different. I don’t see how you can put someone who gave up from the start on the same level as a prodigal who accepted the Crown Prince position, threw everything away, and ran off later.”
At least compared to Theseus, the evaluation wasn’t quite as harsh.
“Ah, Mr. Johan. It would be best if you and your companion came along as well. Cynthia is a renowned blacksmith. If you need any equipment maintained, it would be wise to meet her.”
“I’m fine; I’ve got this.”
I held up the cursed sword.
It was a vicious cursed sword personally crafted by Georg.
Professor Georg was unparalleled when it came to achievements in alchemy.
Since he had mastered not only pharmaceuticals but also the handling of metals, his skill in forging swords was exceptional as well.
“Still, Miss Yuna will need one. At a glance, it didn’t seem like she was using a particularly high-quality weapon.”
“Ah…”
It was possible that Yuna’s weapon had reached its limit in that battle.
A nameless dagger she had picked up from a nearby smithy.
Since she tended to rely more on her own skill than on her weapon, she hadn’t paid it much attention… but even so, having something better would be preferable to having nothing.
“And Mr. Johan.”
“Yes?”
“When Miss Yuna wakes up, about that… no, never mind.”
“Tell her not to reveal her ability, Johan.”
Theseus hesitated in the end, unable to finish his sentence.
Lobelia, who had been looking at him with exasperation, spoke the words he couldn’t bring himself to say.
“You know better than anyone just how dangerous it is, don’t you?”
“…I’ll keep that in mind.”
There was nothing to gain from letting Yuna’s ability become publicly known.
An ability so unprecedentedly alien that it had no equal in history.
Simply possessing it would make enemies of others.
“I’ll make sure to give her a firm warning.”
Even though I had clearly told her never to copy the imperial family’s abilities, it seemed this troublemaker had gone ahead and done it anyway.
***
The way back, I was alone.
The Oracle who had transported me to the battlefield seemed to have reached her limit and collapsed on the spot, as if completely drained.
Since she was affiliated with the imperial family, I left her in Lobelia’s care.
By the time I finally arrived at the Misfits’ base after walking a long distance alone—
“Welcome back, Johan.”
I was greeted by Ariel who had been waiting for me at the door.
It seemed she had been expecting my arrival.
Even though it was late at night, she greeted me with a bright smile.
“You should go inside. It’s cold.”
“It was a little cold, but thanks to that, I got to see your face first, Johan.”
How does she manage to speak so beautifully?
I thought about draping my coat over her, but unfortunately, my clothes were soaked in blood, so it didn’t feel right to take it off.
Even if I washed up, the stains on the clothes wouldn’t come out easily.
“Are you alright, Ariel? You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?”
“……”
Ariel looked me over with wide eyes.
What? What is she thinking?
“I thought you’d ask about Yuna first.”
“……Even so, I can’t ask about another woman’s well-being to my fiancée who waited for me all night.”
“I’ll give you a passing mark.”
I used to get in trouble a lot for this before.
It means I’ve grown, not just in strength but mentally as well.
Of course, it also helped that Lobelia had already told me that Yuna would be fine.
I’m still worried, but I trust that Helena treated her well.
“Still, I can’t just act selfishly when someone’s hurt, so shall we go in first? Yuna should be awake by now.”
“Yes.”
With just a few words, Ariel seemed to be in a better mood, smiling softly as I followed behind her into the mansion.
At this point, I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve gone in and out of the Misfits’ residence just today.
It almost feels like I spend more time here than in the dorm now.
“Go on in.”
“Ariel…”
“I’ll wait outside. I have enough sense for that. Unlike someone.”
“……”
Ariel gave me a subtle jab.
Even though I thought I responded tactfully this time, it seems I still have a long way to go.
I’ll have to keep doing better.
Still, I’m glad Ariel had the sense to step aside.
“Yuna, I’m coming in.”
Because I’m about to scold you.
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