Chapter 196 What's With That Look?
The rain of light pouring down was absorbed into the depths of my body, healing my wounds.
It seemed that I had unconsciously maintained a tiny bit of [Chaos Strength], and the parts that were pierced were healed to the point where it wasn't a problem anymore.
Eventually, the light rain stopped, and the magic finished its work. At the same time, Fiona's eyes returned to their original red color.
As I lay there with Fiona's lap as a pillow, gazing vaguely at the scenery, I heard the sound of footsteps approaching us.
"Hmm...Fiona, I have a lot of questions, but...for now, is Aaron okay?"
I turned my gaze to see Logan, who had been blown away to the edge of the [Temple].
He didn't seem to have any serious injuries and looked fine. In fact, the damage from being blown away seemed to be healing as well.
It was baffling, but he looked more energetic than anyone else here.
On the other hand, Fiona was shocked to see Logan, her eyes wide open, and her body stiffened slightly. That was understandable, given that Fiona saw Logan as an enemy.
Before I could say anything, Fiona opened her mouth, but before that, I tried to confirm with Logan if the [Black Seal Sword] that was binding Noah was still intact...
"Hey, Logan... what's with that look?"
But the words that came out of my mouth were completely different.
Logan looked at me with a surprised expression, then turned his back to us.
"Whoa, sorry about that."
Of course, it wasn't because I was naked and embarrassed――that wasn't the reason.
For some reason, Fiona was also naked.
You shouldn't be staring at a naked woman without a care in the world, logically speaking.
I lifted my upper body from the lying-down position and said to Fiona.
"Fiona, put on your clothes for now."
"Eh!? Ah, u, yeah!! That's right!"
Fiona's face was extremely surprised, and she let out a loud voice with an utterly astonished expression.
What's with these people? I'm always a gentleman, you know.
As I stood up and checked on Noah, who was lying on the ground, I glanced at Fiona, who was taking out a coat from the Storage Ring and putting it on.
He was still unconscious from the pain, not moving an inch. Although his limbs and torso had shrunk a bit, the [Black Seal Sword] was still stuck in him.
(...This is...no way)
Seeing this sight, my doubts resurfaced. But I shook my head and pushed those doubts aside. Now wasn't the time to think about that.
"Logan."
"Yeah?"
I took out a metal collar from the Storage Ring and handed it to Logan.
"Sorry, but can you put this on him?"
"This is...an Anti-Magic Ring? Why do you have it...I won't ask."
"I got it from Lady Eva."
I replied lightly, shrugging my shoulders. The "Anti-Magic Ring" was originally an illegal item, and it was only permitted for those with special permission to possess it. Well, I had obtained a few of them since I had a high chance of fighting against the masterminds of Stampede and killing them.
"It's ironic, isn't it, Logan?"
Logan took the ring, his expression complicated, and walked towards Noah.
As I tilted my head in response, I picked up the "Black-White" that had fallen on the floor and put on my coat, approaching Fiona who was getting closer.
"Fiona, were you... teleported by that guy?"
I asked, gazing at the person lying in a pool of blood next to the shining pillar――someone who looked just like Fiona.
"...probably."
"Probably?"
The answer was unclear. But as I listened, I understood the situation.
"Probably, I think that guy and I are the same person, but when I met them at the [Seal Temple], they were in your form."
"My...?"
"Yeah. After that, I was suddenly teleported here, and when they appeared behind you, they had somehow turned into my own form."
"Hmm... it's not just a disguise."
Even though the person should be dead, they still hadn't changed back from Fiona's form. It didn't seem like an illusion created by light attribute magic. There were many things I didn't understand, but it seemed like an ability related to transformation or disguise.
And if that's the case, there's one person who comes to mind. No, I don't know their true identity.
"...Fake Chloe."
"――Was that guy... kidnapped in the Helem Wilderness?"
"Well, probably."
Considering the situation, it's impossible to confirm whether the real person is dead or not.
I shook my head and refocused on what I needed to think about.
"Okay, how are we going to get out of here..."
"Wait, where are we anyway?"
"This is a place over 1,000 meters (≈3,280 feet) underground in Necronia."
"That's so deep underground!!"
As expected, even Fiona's eyes widened in surprise. Well, if someone were teleported to a place this deep underground, they'd be shocked too.
"There's no entrance or exit, apparently. It seems like we can't get in or out without teleportation magic... Right, Logan?"
"Uh-huh, that's correct, unfortunately."
Logan approached us, carrying Noah like luggage on his shoulder, and I checked. By the way, the [Black Seal Sword] was released when the collar was put on Noah.
"Say, Logan... can you talk normally?"
Fiona asked, looking at Logan with a complex expression.
Well, he was our enemy who attacked us on the surface, after all. It's no wonder she's surprised if we're chatting casually.
"Yeah, he's a prisoner."
"That's right. Lady Fiona, I don't intend to be enemies anymore, so relax."
Logan replied with a wry smile.
Meanwhile, I gazed at Noah, whom Logan was carrying.
"Hmm, I wonder if keeping him alive was the right call..."
He's an enemy, and I don't trust him one bit, but he can use Space magic. Maybe I can threaten him into listening to me.
"Huh? Are you relying on Sir Noah's teleportation magic?"
"That's the only way."
"Well... I guess so, but I don't think he'll listen to us quietly..."
I think the same, but I have no choice but to try to make him listen.
As I was about to respond――
"""!?"""
We all turned around at the same time.
Inside the [Temple], I sensed that magical energy was flowing in from somewhere. It's probably teleportation magic.
――Who is it?
Thinking that I'm really sorry for any further battles, I'm on high alert, waiting for what's to come――and in the next instant, the owner of the magical energy appears.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Logan! I'm late to come and get you...!!"
It was Chloe Caduceus.
But we didn't let our guard down, and instead, we observed Chloe's behavior. Well, Fiona was the only one who looked surprised, her eyes wide open.
"Chloe...!? Why are you here!? You were supposed to be missing...!!"
That's how Fiona saw it, anyway.
And Chloe was also surprised to see Fiona.
"Huh!? Why is Ms. Fiona here too!? ――Wait, didn't Ms. Fiona die sover there...!!?"
"The other one was a fake."
"What do you mean by fake?"
I almost lost my focus due to the suspicious behavior of these two, but Logan's stern face and opened mouth caught my attention.
"Hmm... the story about Lady Chloe betraying us..."
"Huh!? What's with that story!? I didn't betray anyone, I swear!!"
Chloe was frantically making excuses.
"Then, why were you late to pick us up?"
"Uh, it's because...the two of you were fighting too intensely, and I was scared to teleport here, and then I got lost, and my [Space Perception] was blown away, so I was on high alert..."
Chloe was making excuses while avoiding eye contact, looking nervous.
There's no concrete evidence, but something's fishy about this attitude.
By the way, if Chloe's claim that her [Space perception] was blown away is true, it's probably Noah's doing. It's not impossible that Chloe's magic was blown away by the magical energy Noah filled the [Temple] with.
"And, but, you see! The biggest reason is――!!"
Chloe then roughly wiped her nose with her sleeve, making a mess.
For some reason, Chloe was bleeding profusely from her nose. The rough wipe left bloodstains on her face.
However, Chloe didn't seem to care, and instead smiled brightly. Her face looked like that of a warrior who had just finished an intense battle, feeling refreshed and relieved.
"Hehe, sorry about that... I got a bit carried away with work...!! ."
"...Ah! I see... So that's what it is...!!"
Logan seemed to understand, nodding in agreement. When I asked him what she meant, he started explaining, "Well, you see..."
"Lady Chloe wasn't a traitor; she was fighting on the ground. If you think about it, the monsters from the Stampede are merciless, and from Chronosphere's perspective, Lady Chloe is an enemy human. It's not surprising that they attacked her as soon as they detected her presence. I, of all people, shouldn't have overlooked something so basic...!!"
Logan shook his head, looking frustrated.
...Hmm, now that he mentions it, that does make sense.
So, Chloe was fighting on the ground, which is why she couldn't come to meet us right away. That explains why she was late.
"Hmm... so, a few more people have joined, but everyone's getting sent back to the surface, right?..."
"Yeah, can you send everyone here back to the surface?"
"Roger that!! ...This place is giving me the creeps, too. Let's get out of here as soon as possible!!"
Chloe looked around the [Temple] with an uneasy expression. As she said, there had been ominous sounds like "Crack" and "Creak" since a while ago. It was likely that we didn't have much time left before it collapsed.
Anyway, we were finally able to leave this underground hole and return to the surface.
"......"
Just as Chloe was about to teleport us, I gazed at the shining pillar and the fake Fiona lying beneath it.
If the [God's Remains] were inside the pillar, I couldn't just leave it behind, but I was also worried about taking it out carelessly. I couldn't do anything about it now, and if I were to deal with it, it would have to be some other day.
...Well, it seemed to have a self-repair function, so even if this place collapsed, the pillar would likely be fine... I wanted to believe that, at least.
As for that enemy with an unknown True Identity...
"......"
Was the one who died over there the fake Chloe from back then? Or was there someone else who could transform into others?...
I couldn't come up with an answer no matter how much I thought about it.
Shaking off the lingering emotions, I left the scene――
On the surface, the stampede had already subsided, and the 4 families who were attacked by Chronosphere had regrouped and dispatched knights to the city to rescue people.
So, the chaos caused by the stampede had finally started to die down a bit... But then, a new report came in――the head of the Caduceus family, Jilva Caduceus, had vanished! This news was brought to the other three families by the new head, Nacht Caduceus.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Donate me
Support Me with USDC
(ERC20)
Support Me with XLM
(Stellar Lumens)