Volume 3 Chapter 21 Interlude： The Uninvited Guest (Part II)
*Continuing from Lene's point of view.*
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I cautiously advance through the thicket, keeping watch for enemy attacks.
Since this is inside the barrier, there's no need to worry about traps being set, but there's always a chance an attack could come flying from behind the trees.
To prevent that, SuzSuz has Minori's magic shield in front of her, a serious level of caution.
We eventually reach a clearing, and SuzSuz points to the center.
The space around there is distorted.
It must be the mark left by the barrier repelling the Dark Mage.
"...The reaction was coming from around here."
"There's no Dark Mage here. Well, I guess it's not surprising they'd be waiting patiently..."
Minori might be saying that, but she's definitely not letting her guard down.
She came all this way, so she probably doesn't think it's a simple matter of just leaving.
"Hey, let's take a look from above."
"Huh? ...Whoa!"
Before Ai-Ai can even finish her sentence, she shoots straight up and grabs onto a ridiculously high branch, then spins her whole body around and plops down on the branch like it's a chair.
Amazing physical ability.
I envy her.
My mom's always tone-deaf, so I'm not cut out for this kind of stuff.
Flamme, on the other hand, takes off after her.
She can fly even at that size.
How convenient....
"There's no one around here, huh?"
Ai-Ai's voice calls down from above.
Right, I guess it's impossible to spot anything from up there.
As I ponder what to do, I suddenly feel something strange and shift my gaze.
"........."
"What's wrong, Lene"
As I stared intently at a certain area, Minori must have noticed my gaze because she asked me what was up, but I simply couldn't tear my eyes away from it.
In that spot, there was a thicket that seemed to huddle protectively around a single tree.
That's where my unease was rooted.
It was probably located just outside the barrier.
"...Minori, about that thicket over there..."
"Hmm? What's wrong with it? Did you hear something?"
Yeah, if it was a sound, as an elf, I'd know right away.
I could even tell whether it was a beast's call or a human sound.
But it wasn't that.
The unease I felt was something else entirely.
It was too natural to be natural.
While the surroundings were clearly altered nature, there was something undeniably off about that particular spot.
"There's no sound, but... that thicket feels strange. It's like... unnatural──wait! Minori!"
Before I could finish my warning, Minori walked up to the thicket carelessly, and I panicked, calling out to her at the top of my lungs.
Getting that close, she was completely outside the barrier!
Just as I feared, 2 golden tendrils suddenly emerged from the ground, lunging at Minori.
Oh no!
"Gotcha!"
Just then, Minori, who had seemed so carefree, let out a gleeful cry.
In the next moment, she dashed toward the thicket at a terrifying speed, drawing her Magic Sword, *Pierce and Resist*, and slashing through the air as if dancing.
"Guh!"
A cry of agony pierced the air, and it seemed that the thicket had been an illusion──it gradually faded away, leaving behind what was left inside──
"...Huh...? W-why are you here...?"
I distinctly remember the woman who was pierced by Minori's〈Resist〉, clutching her slashed shoulder.
But how is she still alive?
She should've lost her life.
"...You react just like that man~, Lady Lene,"
she taunted with a twisted expression, perhaps from pain, as her lips curled up.
What does she mean by "that man"?
"...Did you meet Ryuuji?"
A bad premonition struck me as I forced my voice out through my dry throat.
The thought of Ryuuji encountering this Dark Mage and missing his chance was too horrid to bear.
"Yes, I met him, and I killed him."
......Huh?
Adiliana's single statement froze the air around us.
"...Wait, what did you say? Big Bro Ryuuji is dead?"
Minori, not wanting to believe, confirmed with a quavering voice and sword.
She's watched over Ryuuji's nonsense far longer than I have; the idea of his death must be hard for her to accept.
"Yes, that's right~? He was on the brink of death, caught in my spell, but I made sure to finish him off with────"
Before Adiliana could finish, Minori's blade flashed, and her right arm was severed at the shoulder, falling to the ground.
But Adiliana wasn't just hit; a golden tentacle had burst from the ground behind Minori, slicing into her right side.
It seemed she couldn't dodge it.
"Guh...!"
Minori backed away, clutching her wound and increasing the distance between herself and Adiliana.
She needed to get her medicine, but her thoughts wouldn't catch up.
As Adiliana brought the severed arm and shoulder together, she expected... but in a matter of seconds, the arm was back to normal.
What kind of recovery speed is that?
"I just delivered the facts and thrust them forward, yet you take my right arm! You're a cruel girl. Well──"
Saying that, Adiliana's left hand, outstretched towards the barrier, turned white and made a showy *shhhwoooosh* sound.
If I remember correctly, SuzSuz said that if you tried to forcibly peel away this barrier, a kind of counter-attack would happen and you wouldn't get away unscathed...
A roar far exceeding the sound when Adiliana's arrival was announced earlier erupted... and then, she was completely blackened.
Instead――
"...The barrier!"
SuzSuz, who noticed it quickly, called out.
It seems the barrier had been destroyed.
"...Well then, now it's your turn to be killed~. Don't worry, I'll make you suffer plenty."
Blackened Adiliana, billowing smoke, stretched her mouth up like a crescent moon and let out a chilling laugh.
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