—BLAM!!!
"…Hic." I let out a little hiccup.
My head was almost torn off by the furniture that was thrown against the wall.
"Anellia! STOP that already! You're going to destroy the base AGAIN!"
—SMASH!
A girl with pink hair hurled not just furniture, but a mysterious, colossal weapon at a girl named Anellia.
—Dink!
Despite her efforts, the weapon bounced harmlessly off Anellia's forcefield, leaving her unscathed.
"I refuse." The navy-haired girl named Anellia shook her head defiantly.
—Clench…!
"Oh, you little…!" The pink-haired girl slammed her hands on the table in frustration.
—C-CRASH!!!
She split the table in half, damaging the floor beneath it.
"Ha—Hahaha! Fine then! I finally have a proper excuse to wring your damn neck and kill you, you damn wench!"
—Ving…!
The colossal weapon returned to her hand, and the pink-haired girl radiated annoyance, literally exuding killing intent.
Anellia, on the other hand, was immersed in something else and seemed unbothered. This only fueled the pink-haired girl's anger further.
—Shing…!
Unable to hold back any longer, the pink-haired girl's bulky weapon transformed into a menacing scythe.
Unlike a normal scythe, this one had three edges on both the front and back, each dyed red. It was such a brutish weapon that it felt as though it had been born from sadistic tendencies.
Anellia's wings hovered ominously in the air, marking her as the target and confirming my earlier suspicions: their wings were weapons.
—Bzzzt!
The two of them glared at each other, and I could feel a charged tension, as if they were ready to rip each other apart unless someone intervened.
"Ahaha…" Eskieth laughed it off and scratched her head.
"???" I was perplexed by her nonchalant attitude, especially since she was the squad's leader.
—Clank…!
The two of them assumed a fighting stance, their weapons ready and poised as they counted down the seconds before all hell broke loose.
Witnessing this made me realize how their base had fallen into such disarray.
Just as they were about to clash, a third member miraculously appeared, timidly asking them to stop.
"Hey... you two, can you stop?" he said, raising his hand and pointing at Eskieth and me.
My eyes lit up, thinking that this voice might belong to a sane person in the group.
—Only to be shot down before he could do anything.
"Vice-Leader... Leader Eskieth is here with a guest—"
"None of your business.
"Shut your mouth, worm."
"Sorry."
Despite all his efforts, the two of them scowled back, disregarding his interference.
I didn't notice the third member at first because he was tucked into the very corner, but he had been there all along, focused on his own activities.
He appeared in my line of vision to help defuse the situation, only to fail miserably.
However, like Eskieth, he shrugged as if he had expected this outcome, indicating that he couldn't do anything even if he tried.
"There you have it," he said, going back to reading his novel and propping his legs up on the table, a snack in hand.
To an unfortunate young man, a psychopath, and an emotionless person.
Things just kept getting worse.
As I met the 'squad members' and formed my first impressions, my gaze was directed toward Eskieth.
"Are you sure Orion is the leader of this squad?" I asked.
—Shaaa…
"…What? Why are you all looking at me like that?" I tilted my head to the side.
I could have easily stayed out of it, but I had already made a mess of things.
"A-Ahaha… that's not good," Eskieth said, her eyes widening as she placed her hands on my shoulders.
"You see, I forgot to mention this, but…" she scratched her head, looking a bit sheepish.
It took me a moment to notice, but the pink-haired girl was looking directly at me.
"One of our members gets sensitive when someone mentions Orion. Teehee~!" She stuck her tongue out playfully.
…
…
…
"Hweh?"
—Grab!
"Ugyah…!" Someone pulled me into their line of sight without any regard for my personal space.
They had been fighting just moments ago, but the pink-haired girl seized me with a grip that seemed far stronger than expected from someone slightly taller than me.
This wasn't the first time I had experienced something like this today, so I quickly managed to create some distance between us.
"…???" I looked back and forth between her and Eskieth.
Eskieth appeared just as confused, wondering why she had suddenly taken an interest in me.
After a few seconds, she made a face that clearly indicated, 'Ahh… that makes sense,' yet refused to provide any explanation.
—I'm going to bore a hole in her face later.
"You—cat-eyed vixen. Did I hear our true leader's name come from your lips?" She wrapped her giant scythe around my neck, leaving me no way to escape.
—Shing…!
"…Vixen?" I repeated, pointing to myself to confirm.
"Yeah, you. Now tell me, how did you meet Leader?"
"…" I remained silent, choosing not to answer.
"Do you really think I wouldn't hesitate to cut you into tiny pieces right now?" She narrowed her eyes, clearly annoyed by my defiance.
"…" I refused to back down, this time giving her a stern glare.
If she wanted to play this game, I was ready for anything.
I formed a thin coating of Ichor around my neck, tinted to match my skin tone.
Although she appeared to be the same age or older than Simon and his lackeys, everyone here possessed immense strength.
—Humans I shouldn't underestimate like Scarlett and Camellia.
The two of us refused to back down, glaring at each other until one made a move.
…
…
…
—Voom…
As I was about to form Libera, she unexpectedly retracted her giant scythe and scoffed.
"…Hah! At least you're not spineless, unlike everyone else." She smiled, surprisingly complimenting me.
"Oh, t-thanks?" I took a deep breath, relieved that I had somehow diffused the situation.
I hadn't expected to get a positive response from her; however, this was a better outcome, as I successfully prevented the building from being destroyed.
In the next moment, she sat down on the couch beside the third member and took his snack.
He looked like he was going to protest, but then gave up and pulled another one out of nowhere.
"Orion… How is he?" she asked in a different, softer tone, which surprised me after her earlier scowling.
"Orion? He's doing okay, yeah!" I quickly shuffled for an answer that would satisfy her.
"I feel bad that he has to deal with those prideful nobles in Demiurge. But nothing bad has happened so far, I think…" I gave her an honest reply.
She glared at me, looking deep into my eyes as if trying to see if I was lying.
When she finally closed her eyes, accepting my words, she decided to fully back down.
"…I see." She crossed her arms beneath her chest.
I wanted to say something to shift the topic, but I didn't even know their names.
Taking a moment to breathe, I calmed down and admired her profile as she stood before me, her mouth sewn shut.
"…Pretty.' I thought.
The pink-haired girl had long hair tied into low twin tails, pale white skin, and deep red eyes.
Unlike Eskieth, who rocked an office suit without the top, except for a white polo, she donned a unique dress that I mistook for her as a saint… not with that attitude, at least.
Her white, transparent veil was flipped up so she could see. She wore a pink-and-black capelet adorned with cross ornaments, a long skirt with a slit on the side, and knee-high boots.
Perhaps she enjoyed the attention; she sighed and calmed down, moving past a conflict with another member named Anellia.
"…Alright, I'll trust you for now." She asserted.
The bizarre weapon in her hand transformed into two wings, resembling what might be called angel wings, floating behind her back.
While they appeared mechanical—made of floating scraps of steel—her attractive appearance and aura she emits...
One would truly mistake her for an angel from the heavens.
…As long as she keeps her mouth shut.
"Don't forget this, as I won't repeat it twice, kitty cat," she warned, her smile revealing all I needed to know about her.
"My name is Lux Lumina, product code AN-15, a member of the Xero Squad," Lux declared.
"Also, you're insane for going against a Sentinel. Do you want to die that badly?" Her sharp words sliced through me, hitting a sore spot.
"Haha, I'll keep that in mind… but it's nice to meet you, Lux," I replied with a smile, brushing off her biting remarks.
"…Hmph, I don't care, and I've lost interest. I'm going to my room," she said dismissively.
Lux turned her head and glanced at Anellia and Eskieth for a brief moment before walking away.
"…Huh." I forced a smile, pretending I wasn't bothered.
Not. At. All.
What was supposed to be a huge mess had been defused by me, who, thankfully, pressed the right buttons.
—Clap clap clap!
"Little lab rat, colour me surprised!" Eskieth exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hands.
"I've never seen anyone tame Lux like that before…!"
"You call that taming someone?"
"Mmm! How did you know that Orion was her weak point?"
—Crack!
"Ah."
Because of her big mouth, Orion's name had been mentioned again.
I noticed Lux slowly approaching Eskieth, but Eskieth was facing away, babbling loudly.
"Uh, Eskieth, you should probably stop talking now…" I warned her, but she didn't listen.
"Whaaat~? Aren't you curious about how our little Lux has been restless ever since Ori—GUEEH!!!"
—BOOOM!!!
Lux delivered a high kick directly to Eskieth's face, creating a massive hole in the wall.
…
...
…
I rotated my head at Lux without uttering a word.
"You—did you hear." Lux stared me dead in the eye, ready to react if I answered incorrectly.
"No, I did not," I replied, lying to buy myself a little more time.
"Good." She walked away, leaving only three of us in the room, with Eskieth lying still like a decoration.
…
…
…
"Is she dead?" I asked the other two squad members in the living room.
…
…
…
None of them replied.
It wasn't because she's dead… they just— didn't care enough.
Sighing in disbelief at how this was considered a functional squad, I decided to check on Eskieth.
That's when I heard a voice coming from where Lux had exited.
"L-Lady Aria? Is that you?"
"Huh… Scarlett?" I turned around and saw the person I had been looking for.
I was relieved to see that she was okay, but her current state made me worry otherwise.
"What happened to you…!?" I rushed over to check on her condition.
A cast covered her right arm, her complexion looked grim, and dark patterns were engraved on her skin.
Suffering in silence, she decided to apologize, thinking it was all her fault.
"Lady Aria… I'm sorry for being useless—"
"—Finish that sentence, and I'll never forgive you."
"…"
Scarlett nodded obediently, and I quickly approached her to examine her injuries more closely.
'Not only were some parts of her skin pale, but they were also dark…' My eyes widened in concern.
"Deus Machina, that's the name they have given to that monstrosity, the Sentinel," she revealed, identifying the giant worm.
"It can rain down a substance that contaminates mana… even mine."
Even though she was regarded as one of the strongest magicians in Demiurge, against an eldritch horror, she was but a fish in an ocean.
"…Merely coming into contact with a droplet from the rain could lead to horrific consequences, inevitably resulting in death."
"N-No!" I exclaimed, bewildered as to whether what she said was true.
"She won't die, little lab rat."
—Crumble!
Eskieth, who had been perched on the wall like a decoration, stood up.
"What do you mean she won't die?" I asked, trying to remain as level-headed as possible.
"I meant what I said; Scarlett won't die from something like this, little lab rat. She'll be useless for a couple of weeks, that's all." She brushed the dirt off her clothes.
"Ah… then that's good enough," I sighed in relief, satisfied that she would live.
"…If that isn't the case, then why did you say that, Scarlett?"
"That's…" Scarlett rubbed her forearm, unable to voice her thoughts.
"Do you know what this means, little lab rat?" Eskieth smiled at me.
It was the same smile she had when she found something interesting.
"You protected the two kids from a literal rain of death, preventing them from an unfortunate fate, but you—you were clearly hit on the right shoulder. I saw it happen with my own eyes."
"…"
"In only a few days, your wounds healed as if they were nothing. Even the incurable disease inflicted by the Sentinel, the Black Haze, disappeared over time."
The atmosphere changed instantly.
In response, Scarlett, despite being heavily injured, moved forward to protect me.
"Inside you, little lab rat, is something we Trestkanians long for: a completely resistant body that rejects all harmful substances."
Eskieth continued, genuinely curious about what would happen if she were to examine my insides.
Scarlett was a well-known figure in this world, yet the squad members showed no fear.
They were ready to strike us at a moment's notice if Eskieth commanded it.
Ah… I understand now.
The main issue at hand wasn't about Scarlett—it was about me.
"Aria Cyth. Are you truly human?"