Chapter 199 Big Sis, Big Sis, Big Sis!!
"Chloe, if we're going to teleport, can we teleport to [Seal Temple]?"
Because of Fiona's words, we ended up teleporting to [Seal Temple].
Apparently, Owen and the others are there too. We were suddenly teleported by the enemy, so they might be worried, or so I thought.
"Got it! But is it okay to teleport to [Seal Temple]? There are still monsters there, aren't there...?"
"Don't worry, I've already taken care of them before coming here."
"Fiona, did you take care of Stampede's core too?"
"Yes, I did it with Ignitor."
"Aaron wasn't here, and you took care of Stampede that quickly, Lady Fiona? That's amazing...!!"
Logan said with a surprised face, and Chloe also nodded in agreement.
Fiona's face turned slightly red with embarrassment from the genuine praise,
"Well... it wasn't just me who did it, you know."
Anyway, we ended up teleporting from the underground [Temple] to the surface [Seal Temple].
"Then, let's go~!!"
Everyone gathered around Chloe, and then magic was activated. In an instant, we felt a floating sensation, and in the next moment, our vision changed, and we realized we had teleported to the surface. The hot air that filled the [Temple] interior disappeared, and the gentle breeze that blew felt refreshing.
"Phew..."
Even though it was a short time, a lot of things happened one after another in that underground place. But now that I've safely returned to the surface, I feel like I've finally been freed from all that. I couldn't help but let out a deep breath and close my eyes, looking up at the sky.
It's cool and feels great.
...It's as if the sky, earth, and people have become one, and I can feel the universe. For some reason, my body and mind are at peace... It's weird. I was fighting in a life-or-death battle, constantly dodging danger by the second, and even nearly died.
But for some reason, I don't feel bad right now.
"Aaron, are you okay?"
"Hm?"
When I opened my eyes, Fiona was looking at me with a worried expression.
It seems she's concerned about my health. Well, that's understandable, given what just happened.
"Ah, I'm fine. Don't worry about it."
I smiled to reassure her and replied,
"Hey! Everyone!"
"Big Sis!! Are you safe?!"
"Everyone, and... Logan, the Sword Saint?!"
Owen, Zara, Elliot, and the others from the ≪Wooden Sword Way≫, who were fighting within the [Seal Temple], noticed us and rushed over.
But their reaction was a bit weird. I furrowed my brow, wondering why they were keeping a certain distance from me.
"Hey, what's going on? You're all being cautious around me, just like with Logan. What's the deal?"
They exchanged glances, and then Owen spoke up as their representative.
"That's... no, before that, tell us, is that Logan guy the real deal, Big Sis?"
"Why are you asking Fiona that?"
"Don't worry, everyone, this Aaron is the real deal."
So, Fiona answered Owen and the others, and then explained the situation to me.
"Aaron, didn't I tell you underground? A fake you appeared on the surface, and that's why we're on high alert."
"Ah, I see..."
Come to think of it, Fiona was the one who was kidnapped by my fake self.
"I understand that Master is the real deal. But can you tell me one more thing?"
"What's that?"
With a look of annoyance, Owen turned to Logan, who was carrying Noah on his shoulder.
"What's with the Saint Sword being here? Isn't he an enemy or something?"
That was the reason for their caution. Well, of course.
It would be better to explain the details, but it's a hassle. I decided to keep it simple.
"I defeated him. Captured him. That's it."
"...Well, since it's you, I believe you defeated the Saint Sword, Master... but are you sure it's okay not to restrain him or anything?"
Logan himself answered Owen's question.
"Yeah, don't worry. I won't cause any more trouble."
"......Can I really trust those words? Or will we just have to take you down if you try anything?"
"I promise to behave."
Logan answered with a wry smile.
...Maybe if Owen and the others gang up on him, they might be able to take down Logan, but I'll keep quiet about it. With Logan in his current exhausted state, he might even be able to take on Owen and the others alone. Even if he can, we've got Fiona and me, so it's no problem, probably.
――Anyway, after explaining the minimum necessary, Owen and the others let their guard down.
"Big sis!! I'm sorry!!"
"Aaaa!? What's going on?!"
Zara clung to Fiona.
I think Fiona's exhausted, but she's trying to push Zara away. However, Zara's holding on tight with an incredible amount of strength, and she doesn't seem to want to let go.
"You protected me, but now you're in danger, big sis!!"
"It's fine, I'm not hurt! Let go!"
"That's a lie! If you were fine, why did your clothes change?! Huh?! Did you get attacked by those beast?!"
Why is Zara looking at me like that?
"That's not true! I just got hurt during the battle and my clothes got torn!"
"Battle?! You were in danger again, weren't you?! Are you hurt?! Are you okay, Big sis?!"
"No! I'm fine! That's why I don't want you to take off my coat!!"
Zara's trying to take off Fiona's coat.
I wonder why, but for some reason, I feel the same aura from her as the Maiden Squad.
"Big Sis, Big Sis, Big Sis!! Big-Sisss!!"
"Stop it! Let go!!"
"......"
I quietly approach Zara, who's still holding onto Fiona, and lightly punch her on the head.
――[Rumble Punch: Weak]
"Gahh...!!"
"Hmm..."
Zara loses consciousness and falls down, and I take a look at her magical energy inside her body. It's around 5% now. If we wait for another 20 to 30 minutes, it should recover to around 20%.
Anyway, considering I used [Chaos Strength] earlier, my physical condition is surprisingly good. It's probably thanks to Fiona's healing magic.
Unlike last time during the Stampede, this time I didn't come close to dying, and only got my heart pierced a little. The damage was minimal, and that's why I'm recovering physically as well.
I checked my physical condition and asked Owen.
"Owen, it seems like there are no monsters around the [Seal Temple]... Does that mean the barrier has been reactivated?"
"Ahh, yeah... I checked just now, and the barrier is back to normal. So, no new monsters will appear. We've defeated the ones around here, and the ones that scattered into the city are all that's left. We just need to hunt them down, and the Stampede will be completely over."
"That's good... Then, let's move out and meet up with the other clan members. Fiona, do you know where the others are?"
"Um... aside from the party we sent to rescue the city, each of the 4 families had their own manors attacked separately, so we sent one party to each of their rescue. So, they're probably still inside their territories..."
"Alright then... Let's head to Kirke's manor first. Lady Eva might be there too, after all."
"! Yeah, that's right!"
Fiona nodded enthusiastically, seeming to be worried about Lady Eva.
We decided on our plan, and Owen picked up the sleeping Zara. We then headed towards Kirke's manor.
* * *
Our movement was slow because Chloe was with us.
Plus, we wanted to check the situation around the [Seal Temple], and I needed time to recover my magical energy.
As we walked down Grand Temple Avenue towards Kirke's manor, checking if there were any monsters around...—
"...It seems like there are no monsters around here, huh."
"Yeah, that's right."
There were no monsters in sight on Grand Temple Avenue.
Well, from the monsters' point of view, there aren't any humans to attack here, so it's only natural for them to just run through without stopping. In other words, it's almost certain they're headed towards the city.
However, according to Fiona, they've defeated the "core" and the [Seal Temple]'s barrier has been reactivated. It's only a matter of time before the Stampede monsters are wiped out. We can leave the monsters scattered throughout the city to the other explorers.
So, without any fighting, we slowly made our way down Grand Temple Avenue and headed towards Kirke's main gate on the outer perimeter.
There were several knights standing guard in front of the main gate, but there were no monsters in sight. Before long, the knights at the gate noticed us, and one of them approached us.
"Aaron! Are you safe... wait, Mr. Logan!? Why!?"
At first glance, I thought it was a knight, but as he got closer, I saw it was Garon. It seemed that Garon and his group, the ≪Iron Wall Alliance≫, had come to Kirke to provide backup.
And when he saw Logan walking with us, he became vigilant, lowering his stance and grasping the hilt of his sword.
I explained the situation to him simply, just like Owen would.
"Don't worry. For now, he's not an enemy. He's a prisoner."
"Ah, long time no see, Garon. As Aaron said, I'm ashamed to say I'm a prisoner."
Logan said, raising one hand in greeting.
"Prisoner... what's going on... I mean, that's what I'd like to say, Mr. Logan."
Did he understand, or did he just stop thinking about it? Anyway, Garon took his hand off the sword and gazed at the person Logan was carrying, his eyes fixed intently.
"Is that... the one on your shoulder..."
"Yeah, you guessed it, it's Sir Noah."
"Is he... alive?"
"...Well, we need to talk about that too. Sorry, but can you let us in?"
Garon turned to me at that question.
"Aaron... are you okay with this?"
He was asking if it was okay to let our former enemy Logan inside without restraints.
I nodded in response.
"Yeah, it's fine. I'll handle it if anything happens."
My magical energy had also returned, after all.
"Yeah, got it. Then, everyone, follow me."
Saying that, Garon turned around and started walking towards Kirke's main gate.
We followed Garon, walking in a line... but before we could take a few steps, Garon suddenly stopped and turned to us.
"Aaron."
"What's up?"
I tilted my head, wondering if Garon had some concerns or doubts, his serious face making me think that maybe we should restrain Logan after all.
But my guess was wrong. It seemed to be something entirely different.
Garon spoke in a strong, forceful tone, enunciating each word carefully.
"Aaron... put on your clothes."
"......!?"
Oh man, I had totally forgotten that I was completely naked.
No wonder I felt a cool breeze when I was teleported to the ground.
I couldn't believe I forgot I wasn't wearing any clothes. Well, today was a wild ride, so I guess it's not entirely unexpected...
"Ah, yeah. Let's get dressed."
I took out some clothes from my storage ring and started putting them on.
Garon looked away from me and turned to Logan, opening his mouth to speak.
"Mr. Logan, please get dressed too."
"――!! Oh, I forgot I was naked too!"
It seemed Logan also forgot he was completely naked. Unbelievable, what a careless guy.
"I'll get dressed too. Sorry, but could someone take care of Sir Noah for me?"
"...Alright, I'll take care of him."
Logan handed Noah over to Elliot and took out some clothes from his ring, starting to change.
Garon looked away from Logan and turned to Fiona and the other ≪Wooden Sword Way≫ clan members, his gaze piercing as he scolded them.
"What's with all of you? Why didn't anyone point this out until now?"
"""......"""
Everyone quickly averted their eyes.
What does it mean?
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