A woman stared at a point with cold eyes. At the end of his line of sight was the body of a man, Guardweaver Drous, a piece of trash who tried to escape his own karma and lead a second life under a new name. Yes, that should have been the case.
«Amelia, why are you so depressed?».
Amelia bit her lip involuntarily. This wasn't as refreshing as she thought.
«Why did his teammates run away? Come on, don't worry so much. The other two went to look for them, right? They will catch them soon». Even this immature comrade who complained the entire trip was now tiptoeing around her, but Amelia didn't have the mind to worry.
«It's my responsibility. There is no reason for you to get involved. So, go ahead!»
The image of that guy sacrificing himself for his comrades continued to linger in his eyes. At first, it was ridiculous. What the hell was this guy saying? After betraying them like that, and by people who had no idea what kind of person he was?
His teeth ground on their own. If he was capable of doing that, why didn't he do it for them?
«Still, we got our things back, right? Even if those guys escape alive, our mission is a success».
Only then did Amelia erase her thoughts and look away at the jewel in her hand, legacy of the Great Sage Gabrielius and treasure protected by the lords of Noark Castle for generations. Now that I thought about it, this was also doubtful. To be precise, he kept thinking about the words he heard when he took it from Drous.
«Amelia, this can't change anything».
How could she say that when she knew what this object meant to her?
Amelia used the poison she had in her possession to dissolve the man's corpse. He then placed the jewel he was holding in the subspace. All of Noark's leaders had left for the outside world, and it was not possible to communicate with them anyway. She would be in charge of keeping it for a while. Without needing to rush, he planned to come back and find a way to use the gem later.
That's the first.
In any case, his long-awaited wish was coming to an end. With that thought, Amelia shook off her restlessness.
«But, Amelia.» Carmilla, the team's summoner and also the woman who maintained her method of transportation on the sixth floor, stuck next to Amelia. His eyes were full of curiosity. «Is this really so?»
It's not that Amelia didn't understand how she felt. The object had been passed down as a legend in Noark and was in some ways considered more fictional than the Renaissance Stone. That's why Amelia didn't say anything.
"No lo sé".
Of course, she knew that the stories about this object were not simply made up and that the object she had just placed in subspace was unequivocally authentic. But they say that seeing is wanting. It would be foolish to tell you this and cause a new variable.
«Ah, don't be like that. You also knew who that man was. I think you'll know if it's real or not».
«Again, I don't know. And whether this is really that object or not is none of our business. Our mission is just to get back what I had and come back». Amelia drew the line again.
Just as he was about to turn around, Carmilla smiled. «Judging by that reaction, I guess that's really it? Wow, I didn't think this really existed».
The words might sound somewhat like an immature joke, but having seen all kinds of ugly things in her life, Amelia instinctively reached for her dagger. That was the moment.
Stab!
A warm feeling radiated from his back.
«Use siento, Lady Rainwales.»
It was his mistake to distrust Carmilla. When he came to, the warrior's sword had penetrated his stomach. But so what? In the time it took her to remember her mistake, Amelia made a decision.
«Good job, sir!»
The sword stabbed under his ribs.
«When will you start calling me brother?»
His organs were damaged, but it was not an instant death wound.
«It doesn't matter, we're only half related!»
Amelia quickly took out the dagger and pushed it forward. The target was Carmilla, the woman he wanted to kill again and again.
¡Latigo!
Unfortunately, it fell a little short. Of course, that didn't mean much. There was a minor skill he learned while fighting the barbarian in the past.
¡Whooom!
As soon as an aura was imbued into the tip of the sword, the lack of distance was compensated.
Stab!
«¡Aaagh!»
The tip of the dagger pierced Carmilla's eyes.
«Pity». If it had been a little deeper I could have stabbed his brain.
Despluma!
Before he could feel disappointment, the knife in his stomach was torn off. The recoil caused his body to wobble, but there was no time to rest.
«¡Maldite sea!»
Immediately afterwards, the warrior's sword headed towards his vital organs. Seeing that it was difficult to avoid it, Amelia extended her arm. That was because the arm was not a vital point.
Slash!
The sharp sword pierced his arm. He managed to preserve his life, but suffered a great loss in battle. This wasn't a big problem either. If the main body was broken, he only had to fight using clones.
Dash.
Amelia used a Doppelganger Self-Replication, created a clone right behind the warrior, and immediately kicked her in the head, an attack that most enemies couldn't even react to.
«Behind you!»
The clone's foot came into contact with the opponent and an explosion sounded.
¡Bang!
The sound was not coming from the head he was pointing at.
«Ugh!» The foot landed on the warrior's shoulder. It was the timely warning that allowed the warrior to turn his body.
Stab!
The price for the failed attack was the warrior's sword stabbing into her stomach once again, although the control carried out with the clone meant that the sword did not stab too much.
I could die like this.
This was dangerous.
«What are you doing?! Grab the arm, quick!» The moment that thought dominated Amelia's mind, the warrior rolled to the ground and picked up the amputated arm. He was wearing a subspace bracelet. Frustrated, Amelia used her clone to quickly pursue the warrior.
«¡Vamos, Yongyong!»
He was three steps away.
«Kwaaaa!» The warrior rode on top of the Drake summoned by Carmilla before the clone could reach him.
¡Whoom! ¡Whoom!
The Drake floated into the sky in an instant. He could hear the conversation between the two that was overshadowed by the loud flapping of wings.
«...Amelia Rainwales. She is a terrifying woman. I never thought it could be so threatening even in that state».
«Anyway, just give me a potion!»
«First, we have to talk. And now what? We couldn't even kill her well».
«What does that matter!? She's going to die anyway...»
That was the end of the conversation he could hear with his developed ear because they had now completely disappeared into the sky.
«Damn.» Amelia cursed for the first time in a long time, but that didn't change anything. Acting was the only way to save himself from a desperate situation.
Walk.
Amelia used her intact clone to carry her main body and quickly left that place, judging that if those guys went back down to the ground to make a confirmed kill, that would really be the end.
Walk, Walk.
Amelia continued moving forward, not really knowing which direction she was going. After a while, he stumbled forward after Self-Replication was canceled and his PM hit rock bottom.
Grifo.
He froze upon hearing a lateral presence. If they were his comrades, he would live, but if they were not, he would die. It was a situation that decided between life and death.
«...Ainar? Are you Ainarr?»
Surprisingly, Amelia's predictions were wrong. «You.»
« ¿H-huh? »
«You are Bjorn Yandel's comrade». She raised her head and confirmed the side of the woman's head.
¡A gato!
It was a gato.
***
«Ahhh, who is this person now?» Missha was confused. This was natural. Anyone would have been if a woman with an amputated arm and a hole in her stomach collapsed in front of them. «U-uh... Is he one of the scouts who were fighting? P-potion. Yes, potion first...»
She was an unknown woman, but Missha first opened her expandable backpack soaked in water and took out a potion. Whether this woman was good or bad... No. There was no information on whether there were good people here in the first place.
«You are Bjorn Yandel's comrade».
This woman's last words before collapsing removed any doubt in Missha. Yes, she could be known to Bjorn. Missha decided to treat her first.
¡Pong!
Opening the potion plug, Missha hurriedly poured it onto the woman's wound.
Rumor.
There was no characteristic sound of the boiling potion. The potion simply flowed through the wound like cold water.
«Hey? I bought this from an authorized general store!»
It was confusing, but having experienced purchasing counterfeit potions in the past, Missha took out another potion from her bag. It was the same once again.
...Uh, why doesn't it work?
Was it fake too? Missha then poured some of the potion over the scar she got when she fell into the water.
¡Chhhhhh!
Seeing that it stung like crazy, the potion was fine. Why didn't it work on this woman? He couldn't know it, but Missha didn't give up. He learned from Bjorn that the barbaric spirit was to chew with your gums if you didn't have teeth.
I haven't used this in a long time...
Missha took out herbs and bandages. They were first aid supplies that he planned to use one day, when he could no longer use potions.
«It's going to sting you a little... Oh, you can't hear me anyway».
First washing the wound with an antiseptic, Missha applied the herbs and bandaged it. He then placed a blanket on the floor and laid the woman on top. That ended the temporary measure. Since he had done everything he could, the rest depended on this woman's will.
«At least breathe well...» After monitoring the situation for a moment, Missha confirmed that the woman's breathing had stabilized and she squatted next to the blanket. Then he let out a sigh. «Ugh, I can't leave her here...».
If she was just unconscious, Missha would have carried her, but since her condition was so serious, it was impossible to use that method.
«Bjorn will be waiting...»
Missha sulked, but she couldn't leave this woman like this. They spent about ten minutes in that state.
¡Squeak, squeak, squeeeeeak!
Missha turned her head upon hearing an unpleasant sound. «Ugh, so what is this?»
Monsters crawled from the shore.
***
It was the sound of meat crashing regularly. The sound came from my hand. I couldn't keep my body still, so I kept moving my fingers incessantly.
Two hours.
So much time had passed since I reached the central part. No matter how quickly he had arrived, one of the companions should have arrived a long time ago.
Why doesn't anyone come?
Even if I tried to have faith, ominous imaginations continued to fill my head. Missha, Raven, Mr. Bear, Ainar and Erwen... Were they really okay? If I had known that was the case, I would have searched the coast, I wouldn't have come downtown.
«Do you intend to stay here?», the priestess asked me carefully as I trembled with anxiety. To me, she looked like a damn cult member.
Before he told me to have faith.
«You are a priestess. Why do you give up so quickly?».
I grumbled, but deep down I knew that, even considering the kind of priestess, that reaction was not strange.
¡Squeak, squeak, squeeeak!
As proof, sea monsters that only made an appearance when an event had begun began to appear here as well. They had walked here, at a pace less than half the walking speed of a normal person.
Soon, it will be filled with stronger guys. The coast will already be full of them.
Still, no one arrived.
«Ersina. »
«Yes, go ahead.»
«We are moving. Waiting doesn't suit my temperament.»
«It seems that your faith remains.»
What was he saying? She was the one who said it was all we could do.
«If you had been born human, you could have been a great religious figure.»
A religious figure, my butt. I found it strange to hear him as a proud modern atheist, but his nuance was closer to admiration than sarcasm, so I didn't say much.
«Enough nonsense and get up».
«Wrong».
I put the priestess on her feet and prepared to leave. Just as I was about to leave, the first visit in two hours arrived.
Unfortunately, he was not one of my team members. His thin body was covered in minor injuries, probably from an arduous battle just before. He wore a long bow slung over his shoulder. Even his green hair was covered in dirt.
«...Lord Yandel.» Friend enemy? It was not difficult to discern. Looking at us, he asked: «You. What have you done to Lady Rainwales?»
Everything was very coincidental.
Actually, I had a question for you too.
Ignoring the tinnitus buzzing in my ears, I asked, «Hey, why do you have Raven's subspace ring?».
You better answer right, or you'll be dead.