Volume 3 Chapter 49 Catherine & Chris - Somehow, It Ended Up Being A Fatal Injury
The weird, wobbly view changed into a reddish-brown landscape, and the strange floating feeling that surrounded the 4 of them finally came to an end.
"Did we make it back?"
Randy looked around and saw an oval device showing the current time. When he glanced out the window, he indeed saw the familiar reddish-brown scenery spread out before him.
It seemed they had definitely returned, and everyone let out a sigh of relief at that fact.
Luke's mom.
Ellie's past.
A lot had happened, especially that strange voice they heard at the end. It looked like Ellie's body was still somewhere, but right now, it was probably best to go home and rest.
"For now, let's head back."
Randy stretched his arms and added, "I'm hungry."
"But we should teleport to the playground first. We also need to close the dimensional hole. Sigh"
His big sigh showed he was feeling a bit annoyed. Honestly, both Randy and Ellie wanted to go home for a nap, but if they did that, time would stay frozen. The hole would probably close slowly on its own, but if they just waited, time wouldn't move at all.
If time was stopped, they couldn't even start a fire to cook food. That was a serious problem for Randy.
It was annoying, but they had to do it. So, it couldn't be helped.
"Then let's get this done quickly and go home. I'm really starving."
Randy stifled a yawn, and Ellie, with a glare, teleported the 4 of them to the playground.
"So, why can I move?"
Randy asked with a wry smile, still in a weird pose.
The 4 of them had teleported to the playground, but Luke and Cecilia, affected by the stopped time, were frozen just like before. However, Ellie, holding her staff, and Randy, who was posing next to her, could somehow move.
Randy had heard that he could move because of the Dragon's Blood. But now, there was no Dragon's Blood in his body.
So, he thought he should be frozen too.
Even though he thought that, he decided to strike a pose just in case... but for some reason, he could still move.
"It's probably the effect of the Dragon's Blood."
"Is it still there?"
Ellie shook her head at Randy's frown and started explaining the principle.
H had once absorbed Dragon's Blood and, though it was forced, had beaten the dragon's power. So, it could be said that he had overcome the dragon's power that was within him.
"Right now, you can move because it's your own power that you've earned."
Randy looked back at the old school building while Ellie channeled magical power into her staff. He remembered that there are people who seemed to be having fun over there, but he quickly pushed that thought aside.
While time was stopped, he thought about the silly faces of the Crown Prince... but he realized that seeing that wouldn't be interesting at all, and his attention returned to Ellie, who was holding her staff.
"Okay, I'm going to close the hole now."
"Got it."
Ellie slowly closed the dimensional hole, and with that, the appearance of the [Tower of Time] began to fade away.
"Next time, I want to enter through the normal route."
"If there is a next time."
Just as Ellie smiled wryly, the dimensional hole completely closed, and everything around them suddenly started moving again.
The swirling dust was blown away by the wind.
The clouds drifted across the dark sky.
The rustling leaves made a soft sound.
"Oh!"
"Wow?"
Luke and Cecilia, who had returned in the same way, looked up at the spot where the [Tower of Time] had been, looking a bit sad.
"It feels like a long, long adventure..."
"But it also feels like it was just a moment."
The two smiled thoughtfully, but Randy and Luke quickly turned around as they noticed something.
After a while, a few dark figures appeared from the shadows.
"I thought there was a huge tower."
"Yeah, we think we saw it too."
One of the dark figures carefully observed Randy, who was acting clueless.
"...Randolph Victor. You look different from when you got here, huh?"
"My clothes got torn because I was surprised by the tower."
That sounds ridiculous. But the truth is, no one from the dark side can explain how his clothes changed in an instant. The strange feeling from his black cloak and his raised right hand are just mysteries to them, and they have no way to explain what just happened.
Still, while the dark side watches Randy with suspicion, he sighed and spoke up.
"More than my stuff, over there──."
Randy pointed at the old school building and asked, "Is everything okay?"
"Something's going on over there."
Just as Randy said, the atmosphere inside the old school building was tense, and they could even faintly hear the sounds of fighting.
"Yeah, that's definitely more important right now──."
As the dark side murmured this, a few men and women vanished in an instant. For them, serving the 'Kingdom,' they couldn't ignore the giant tower that might affect their country.
But right now, they prioritized the safety of the Crown Prince over this confusing, mirage-like situation and rushed toward the old school building.
"That was really intense."
"Of course, with a tower that big showing up."
Randy snorted, and just then, several figures jumped out from the old school building.
"What's that──?"
Randy squinted, seeing a student-like guy mixed in with the fleeing black shadows, along with the dark side chasing after them.
* * *
The moment Ellie fixed the dimensional wall, time started moving again inside the old school building.
"They're coming."
Facing the approaching assassins, Edgar and the two from the dark side formed a circle around Catherine, readying their weapons. Normally, Edgar would be the one needing protection, but with this many enemies, having more fighters was better.
"I'm coming to help!"
Catherine pulled a staff from thin air and cast a buff on everyone, including the dark side.
With her support magic temporarily boosting their strength and intelligence, everyone's thinking sped up.
As the assassins slowed down just a bit, Dario launched multiple fireballs as a preemptive strike.
He rolled over the assassins he hit, while more men closed in.
Still, Arthur and Edgar fought with swords.
Dario used magic.
With the clever support from the dark side, they managed to hold off the overwhelming number of attackers without losing anyone.
"Elemental power-ups are amazing!"
Arthur's sharp sword finally caught one of the assassins, taking him down.
"Cathy's buffs are great too."
Edgar's sword blew off another assassin's arm.
Despite the numbers against them, the unexpected counterattack made the assassins hesitate for a moment... just then, several dark side members crashed through the glass into the old school building.
Even with Edgar and his group, there were about ten of them... but Edgar and his friends were stronger than expected, and the arrival of the dark side caused panic among the assassins.
They hadn't been able to push through before. The appearance of hidden allies was a desperate situation for them. The leader of the dark guild clenched his teeth, realizing this was a losing battle.
It was clear that dragging this out any longer would lead to their downfall.
"You guys, retreat!"
The leader shouted and threw a smoke bomb.
To make the most of their remaining advantage in numbers, they switched to a retreat strategy.
With the Crown Prince and his group present, the dark side couldn't chase them all. If everyone scattered, some would get caught, but they wouldn't all be wiped out.
As the smoke bomb was thrown, it instantly obscured Edgar and his friends' vision, and then──
"It's poison mist! Cover your eyes and mouth and crouch down!"
At someone's shout, everyone instinctively closed their eyes and mouths and crouched down. Of course, it was just a bluff, but Chris took this chance to run. He decided to switch to a plan to escape.
Staying here would only lead to disaster after interrogation. So, he shifted his mindset to take a chance and dashed out of the old school building, blending in with the fleeing assassins.
Chris ran for his life, chased by assassins. A few dark side members jumped out of the old school building, blending into the night. They were outnumbered and scattered, so they probably couldn't catch everyone.
Even so, while the dark side members disappeared into the darkness after the assassins, Catherine was inside the old school, using healing magic on the others who stayed behind.
"Thanks, Cathy."
"No problem. I'm just glad everyone is mostly okay."
She still acted a bit cutesy, but now the dark side members were bowing their heads in gratitude for her healing magic. Without Catherine's support magic and her occasional healing, they could have been wiped out.
"Still, why is Chris..."
Dario was staring at the spot where Chris had been fighting just moments ago. Now, he was lost among the assassins, but he had been fighting side by side with them until recently.
"For now, we need to catch him and make him talk... that's what we can do as friends."
Edgar made a bitter face, and the 3 of them nodded silently.
Their night adventure ended with a bitter feeling lingering in the air.
* * *
"Haa, haa..."
Chris was breathing heavily after sprinting through the town at full speed. His side still hurt, and it was the first time he had really run away from the feeling of death. He never thought that the thrill he usually enjoyed would feel so terrifying when it was coming for him.
Still, he managed to escape, letting out a laugh, "Ha, haha."
Was it joy from escaping?
Or despair from knowing he couldn't go back?
He didn't know, but in that moment, he wanted to believe he had won. He leaned against a wall in a back alley and sighed deeply.
"...What should I do now──."
"Well, it's obvious. You'll be punished according to the rules, heavier than death."
A man landed on the roof above Chris.
"...You."
"You really set me up, didn't you?"
The man's face was filled with rage; he was probably an assassin from the dark guild. He stepped closer to Chris, his anger clear.
"N-No, it was an accident──."
"I don't care. The truth is simple. You set us up."
Veins bulged on the man's temple as he glared at Chris.
"You might be useful as a hostage."
The man grabbed Chris by the collar and punched him hard in the face.
"──Guh."
A pained sound escaped Chris's lips.
"This isn't over. Come with me."
As the man leaned in closer, a large shadow appeared behind him. The moment Chris noticed it and gasped, he heard,
"Found you."
A figure stood next to the assassin, locking arms with him.
"...Randolph Victor..."
Unlike Chris, who was stunned, the man suddenly shouted at Randy, "What are you doing──" but his voice didn't continue.
It was as if his head was being pulled in by a vice. The man was completely in a headlock, shouting, "Hey, let go!" but Randy didn't budge.
"You guys have been lurking around us lately, right? Am I right?"
With a smile, Randy held the man in the headlock, who struggled and said, "I-I don't know what you're talking about," but Randy shot back, "Lying isn't cool."
"Anyway, call everyone. All the members of your organization... within 5 seconds."
Chris, confused by Randy's outrageous demand, slumped down against the wall.
In Chris's ears, he heard:
"Okay, go!"
"Wait, that's impossible!"
"Don't you have a secret way to contact them? Come on, hurry!"
"N-No, I don't!"
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