Chapter 191 5 Days
After the [Labyrinth Conquest Team]'s attack on the 45th floor of God's Remains Labyrinth failed, Ickle was summoned by Chronosphere.
In a room deep within the underground facility, Ickle listened to Chronosphere's plan.
"Aaron Gale... I want to borrow your power to kill him, Ickle. Will you cooperate with me?"
"Yes, Father. What do I need to do?"
"I want you to disguise yourself as Chloe and pretend to be a hostage. The location is... well, the teleportation circle to the Hellem Wilderness is about to be abandoned, so let's use that. Lure him to the Hellem Wilderness, hold Chloe hostage, and surround him with about 30 'suitable candidates' so he can't resist. ...If we still can't kill him, continue to pretend to be Chloe and stall for as much time as possible before returning. We'll also launch an attack on the [Labyrinth Conquest Team] in Necronia, so I don't want him to interfere with that."
"...Father, do I not need to attack Aaron Gale? I think I can kill him with a surprise attack using space magic..."
"No, it's better not to do that. He can normally dodge shooting-type magic, and he can predict the attack range and timing of remote magic with magical energy detection. If that happens, Ickle, who's not used to fighting, will be killed."
"......!!"
Ickle's body tensed up at the abrupt declaration.
In the 45th floor's battle, She thought she understood Aaron Gale's extraordinary strength, but she also had an unconscious feeling of looking down on him.
A person who can't use Space magic can't possibly win against someone who can use it, right?
Normally, that recognition wouldn't be wrong. For most people, Space magic is an overwhelmingly superior and powerful magic.
However, when Chronosphere asserts something, it's either a highly confident prediction or an "observed fact," with a high possibility of being one of those 2.
Ickle had decided to focus on acting like Chloe if the operation failed.
Ickle's tense expression was met with Chronosphere's reassuring smile.
"We're going to corner him in a situation where I can confidently say he'll definitely die, but there's still a high chance of failure. So, it's okay to fail."
"...But, to let Father's plan end in failure...!!"
It's a fact that Ickle was determined to succeed no matter what. Failure was not an option.
On the other hand, Chronosphere let out a wry smile.
"As for me, it's okay if we succeed or fail. Don't you remember the power of the Supernatural Ability I acquired? This is part of the pincer movement to kill him for sure. It's to converge the probability and grasp the future I desire."
The Supernatural Ability Chronosphere acquired――[Invisible Hands]
This ability consists of 2 powers.
One is "Future Observation".
It allows him to observe multiple possibilities of the future.
And another one is――"Future Selection"
An ability to change the probability of a desired future by observing the possibilities of the future.
However, it's not like he can freely choose any future he want. The harder it is to realize a future, the more difficult it becomes to select it.
But if he repeats the Selection process many times, taking his time, he can increase the probability of realizing his desired future.
This time's strategy is also part of that, according to Chronosphere.
"...I understand, Father. I'll do my best to kill Aaron Gale."
"Yeah, I'll count on you, Ickle. My lovely daughter."
Chronosphere smiled gently and sent Ickle off.
* * *
"Mr. Aaronnnn!! P-Please help meeee!!"
Ickle's passionate acting was all for nothing, as the strategy failed.
The 30 "adepts" gathered in the Hellem wilderness were all killed by Aaron Gale, without a single survivor.
Only Ickle was left, deciding to continue the act with Aaron and spend time together to return to Necronia.
But in her heart, she was in turmoil, filled with fear and something else.
(Ugh, what is this guy?!)
It was unimaginable that even with 30 "adepts" surrounding him, equipped with the "Anti-Magic Ring" and banned from avoiding attacks, and receiving a full-power attack from 29 people using the "Activator", Aaron Gale still couldn't be killed.
Chronosphere had said so, but once he put on the "Anti-Magic Ring", she was certain they could definitely kill him.
Who could have imagined that they would get counterattacked so easily?
(Ugh... what, that... what a disgusting thing you're showing me!!)
Then, to rescue the fake Chloe who had become a hostage, Aaron, for some reason, emerged from the crater completely naked. And fake Chloe, Ickle, saw it.
The disgusting and gruesome thing hanging from Aaron Gale's crotch, and when she looked up after falling, she saw all the way to the crack of his butt.
(No... no... noooooo!!!)
The image was etched into her brain and wouldn't go away.
From Chronosphere, she had been taught general knowledge about the male body structure. However, this was the first time she had actually seen it in person. And what she saw was much more vivid and gruesome than she had imagined.
Even so, she somehow managed to calm down and planned to return to Necronia, passing through the Republic of Ilias' capital, in about a month's time. She was going to fulfill Chronosphere's request to "return as slowly as possible" in case Aaron's assassination failed.
However, Aaron refused that plan.
"We'll head back right away. We'll return as quickly as possible."
With a resolute tone, Aaron declared that he would take the fake Chloe and return to Necronia in a straight line, literally.
The next 5 days were hell for Ickle.
She hardly ever walked on her own, and most of the time, she was carried by Aaron. The intense up-and-down motion made her inner ear spin,
"Stop it, Aaron-san! Stop, please!――――Bleeech...!!"
"What's wrong, Chloe?! What's wrong with you, throwing up on someone's back?!"
Sometimes she threw up, and when they crossed the mountain range where the Wyverns nested, they were surrounded by dozens, no, hundreds of Wyverns.
"Eeek! Eeek, eeek, eeek! I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die...!!! I'm gonna be killedddd...!!!"
"Shut up already! I told you it's okay! Stop screaming in my ear!!"
"No, no, no! I'm gonna be eaten, I'm gonna die! I'm gonna be killed, I'm gonna be killed in this terrible place...!!"
"You're not gonna to die! It's not that bad! I'll protect you, so calm down―――― wait, what's wrong, Ms. Chloe?"
She even cried tears of despair from the bottom of her heart.
So, to wash her dirty clothes and bodies, Ickle and the others decided to camp for a night by a fantastical lake in the mountains.
"Hey, Chloe, take out all your dirty clothes and underwear from the Ring."
"Huh?! Why do I have to do that?! What are you going to do with my dirty underwear...?!"
"What do you mean what? I'm going to wash them, of course! You're a lady from Caduceus, so you've probably never done laundry before, right? If we leave them as is, they'll get stained, and the smell won't come out. I'll wash them for you, so it can't be helped."
And so, with shame and humiliation, she handed over her dirty clothes and underwear.
"So, you're gonna wash your body over there behind that rock."
"D-d-don't look, please!!"
"I'm not looking, I'm not looking. Just grateful that I'm not a pervert who'd peek at a little girl's naked body... yeah, that's it."
"What do you mean by that!?"
Despite feeling a bit uneasy, Ickle was relieved to finally be able to wash her body, and moved to a spot behind a rock that was out of Aaron's sight, took off her clothes, and entered the lake.
"Brrr!... But it feels good..."
Ickle was surprised by the cold water, but as she got used to it, she started to feel refreshed and clean.
Without realizing it, she began humming a tune while bathing.
"Hehehe! Who would've thought we'd find a girl here!"
"Miss, are you alone?"
"This is a great catch! We hit the jackpot!"
"...Huh? AAAAAAAAHH!!"
A group of men appeared from the surrounding forest, their rough and dirty appearance making it clear they hadn't taken a bath in a long time.
Their body odor was so strong that it wafted over from a distance, and Ickle didn't immediately realize they were bandits or mountain thieves.
In a panic, Ickle hid her naked body in the water, trying to conceal herself as much as possible.
As the men with sly grins approached Ickle,
"What's going onnn!?"
BOOM!!
And, as if falling from the sky, Aaron plunged into the lake with a loud splash, responding to the fake Chloe's scream. Literally falling from the sky.
But for some reason, Aaron was completely naked.
When Ickle saw the naked Aaron appear beside her, she let out an involuntary scream.
"AAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!? WH, WHY ARE YOU NAKED?!?"
"Some pervert has fallen from the sky!?"
"Who is this guy!?"
The mountain bandits, too, were on high alert, drawing their weapons as they confronted the suddenly appearing naked man.
Meanwhile, when Aaron is asked why he is naked, he answers the fake Chloe with a rather curious face.
"What do you mean... I was just washing my clothes, of course! If I wore them to wash, they'd get all wet, wouldn't they?"
"Eh, ah... s, so... I see...?"
Ickle didn't look like she doubted him, but she genuinely believed Aaron's words.
Since she had never done laundry before, she thought that doing laundry meant getting naked.
On the other hand, the mountain bandits eyed Aaron with suspicion. His toned muscles and numerous scars all over his body made it clear he wasn't an ordinary person.
"You're after that girl, too!?"
"That girl is ours, we found her first!"
"We don't know which mountain bandit group you're from, but back off!!"
It seemed they had mistaken Aaron for a fellow bandit. Aaron, however, just――
"......Huh?"
Then, he took out Black Radiance from his storage ring, infused it with aura, and swung it carelessly, effortlessly defeating the bandits.
――And so, it was a terrible day for Ickle. Not only did she expose her un-ladylike behavior, but she was also seen naked by many people, and she genuinely wished to erase this incident from both Aaron's memory and her own.
But...
"......"
"What's wrong? You caught one, but you don't like the fish?"
"Ah... no..."
By the fantastical lake in the mountains, she was camping with Aaron, roasting fish over an open flame and eating it. Suddenly, she was taken aback by the beauty of the starry sky reflected on the lake's surface, and she spaced out.
Despite the miserable days she's been having, she should want to go back quickly, but being in Necronia, living in that underground facility, and pretending to be Kyle and Aron... it's like she's been experiencing days that she can never get back, and it makes her feel like she wants to go back somewhere.
That's why...
"...Hey, what's wrong, Chloe?"
"......"
When Aaron called her "Chloe," she suddenly felt like screaming.
――I'm not Chloe!!
"...Nothing's wrong, I'm just physically and mentally exhausted from Mr. Aaron's fault, so I spaced out, that's all!!"
"My apologies for being rude. I even washed your clothes and underwear for you."
"Ugh, stop it! Don't remind me! Forget about it!!"
It's still the worst days.
Saying that, Ickle spent the days until her return to Necronia.
* * *
"――I apologize, Father. I failed to kill Aaron Gale and could only buy 5 days' time..."
"No, it's okay. We were able to reduce the number of people in the ≪Labyrinth Conquest Team≫, after all."
After being sent back to the Caduceus house as Chloe, Ickle moved to the underground facility of the secret society Chronosphere and was talking to Chronosphere.
Ickle was feeling down, thinking she hadn't fulfilled her duty, but Chronosphere didn't seem to mind at all.
"Oh, but, father! Listen to me!"
Ickle said with determination.
"I've become able to transform into Aaron Gale! Maybe it'll come in handy someday!"
It was a variation she discovered after returning to Necronia.
She didn't know when the conditions were met, but Ickle had become able to "transform" into Aaron.
Chronosphere chuckled with a smile and nodded, continuing.
"Ickle, you're jealous of Aaron, aren't you?"
"......?"
"That's how it is, right? The activation conditions for your Supernatural Ability are 2: you either have to have affection for the person you transform into, or you have to be jealous. So, you must be jealous of something about Aaron."
"......"
"It's impossible to have affection for someone you should kill. So, it's settled that you're jealous. Yeah, you must be jealous of his strength or his reckless personality. That's right, isn't it, Ickle?"
"......Yeah, that's right, father."
Ickle had become jealous of Aaron.
That's why she met the conditions for "transformation".
That's good.
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