The Script (7)
Thanks to my groundbreaking strategy, we had slipped right out of Lobelia's grasp.
Still, as long as that sniper was out there, we couldn't afford to let our guard down.
Stan Robinhood. Compared to monsters like Lobelia or Ariel, he might not seem overwhelmingly powerful, but he was far more troublesome than either of them.
"Where in the world is he shooting from?!"
Jeff grumbled, deflecting another incoming arrow.
We were already far enough that the outline of Creta had completely vanished over the horizon. Yet the arrows kept raining down on us—always cutting us off from dead ahead. Shafts of wood screamed out of thin air with furious velocity, making it impossible to tell where they were even originating.
"Kh!"
An arrow punched clean through Jeff's divine barrier, forcing him to bat it aside with his sword. The strikes were packing more punch with every shot. Was he closing the distance? Or had he completely abandoned the idea of taking us alive and switched to shooting to kill?
This unexpected ambush was eating up precious time. Lobelia seemed to have given up pursuing us to focus on Loki and Theseus, but without Yuna here, pinpointing a concealed sniper on our own was next to impossible.
"He's way more persistent than I thought... Honestly, this is totally outside my calculations."
"Your plans always seem to have a hole in them somewhere," Melana complained.
This damn couple was taking turns venting their frustration on me.
"Hey, if a plan doesn't end up in the trash bin the second it starts, that alone counts as a wild success."
Still, we had put a decent amount of distance behind us, so finding some nearby cover to lie low felt like a viable option. But right at that moment, I realized it wouldn't be necessary.
"Jeff, you can drop the barrier now."
"What? Based on what?"
"Just try it and see. There won't be any more arrows flying at us."
"...Fine, I'll trust you for now."
At my word, Jeff dispelled the barrier, and as if by magic, the relentless bombardment ceased completely.
"Wait, what happened? Ah! The enemy was tracking my Holy Power all along! So dropping the barrier meant he couldn't pinpoint our location anymore! Am I right, or am I right?"
"Not even close."
What kind of bullshit was he spouting? Since when did Stan Robinhood have sensory radar like that? The bastard was just an unnaturally skilled marksman.
"The arrows stopped because of this," I said, pointing to the spider-shaped mechanical construct that had perched on my shoulder without me even noticing.
When on earth did Emily stick another one of these on me? My first instinct was to scold her, but I had to admit, it saved our skins this time.
Stan would play dead if Emily asked him to. Realizing what was happening on our end, Emily must have ordered him to stand down.
"I have no idea what that is, but that Ex Machina group helping you handled it, right?"
"Pretty much."
"Good enough for me."
With that, the immediate danger was averted. Of course, we still had to erase our tracks and fabricate an alibi, but at this point, we could safely consider ourselves out of Loki's crosshairs.
"Still, though..." The moment relief washed over me, I belatedly began to wonder what had become of Yuna. "What on earth is that girl thinking?"
Yuna might seem impulsive on the surface, but she was surprisingly calculating deep down. She probably had some sort of scheme going on that I wasn't privy to.
Long after Yohan's party slipped past Lobelia, Yuna was still toying with Ariel.
"Hup!"
In terms of destructive power and variety of attacks, Ariel had the undeniable advantage. And yet, she simply couldn't land a single blow on Yuna. It wasn't just because Yuna was lightning-fast; even standing right in front of her, it often felt as if there was nobody there at all.
To make matters worse, Yuna kept slipping in petty taunts. Ariel knew full well the assassin was just trying to rattle her composure, but...
So annoying!
Understanding something intellectually and accepting it emotionally were two completely different things. Besides, Ariel had harbored hostility toward Yuna from the very beginning.
"I think this is plenty, so how about we call it here, Lady Ariel?"
"Kh...!"
Ariel was already gasping for breath, whereas Yuna hadn't broken a sweat. Her breathing wasn't even ragged, nor was her notoriously cumbersome clown costume out of place in the slightest.
"Who decided you could end this on your own terms?"
"Hm? Doesn't the stronger person naturally get to decide? Or do you really think you're in any position to make the call, Lady Ariel?"
"You...!"
"Well, that was half a joke. But seriously, isn't it tough fighting with those aftereffects dragging you down?"
"..."
Yuna's specialty was blending seamlessly into her environment to erase her presence. While that worked best in a crowd, pulling it off amidst scattered rocks and trees wasn't particularly difficult for her either. She had an uncanny ability to paint herself into the landscape like a figure on canvas. Even so, perfect camouflage had its limits against a grand mage.
"Your eyesight is failing you, isn't it? That's the aftereffect of the Transcendence Sickness suppressant, right?"
"...No, it isn't."
"Puhihi! You really are a terrible liar."
Ever since taking the medicine for Transcendence Sickness, Ariel had frequently experienced bouts of heavy mental fog. It was a known aftereffect of the suppressant. Or rather, to be precise, the medicine hadn't truly cured the sickness at all. It had merely slapped a lid over it, sealing it down. In the process of violently dragging back a soul that was meant to dissolve into blue flames, a thick haze clouded her mind.
"Are you going to lie like that in front of your doctor, too?"
"..."
Yuna had seen straight through it. Not that she had staged this little farce just to expose that weakness, but...
"Whatever the case, if you'd stayed back there, you only would've gotten in the way. You're starting to understand what I mean, aren't you?"
"..."
While Yuna kept talking, the fog clouding Ariel's head cleared slightly, allowing her to piece together the true meaning behind the assassin's actions.
"Back there, we had to look like complete strangers."
"...So that's why you provoked me."
Yohan had resolved to break through Lobelia by force to deceive Loki's watchful gaze. Yet the timing had been far too delicate, and Lobelia's initial response had been to initiate dialogue. To fool Loki beyond a shadow of a doubt, they needed an undeniable display of conflict.
"Thanks to you, we pulled it off."
"..."
"All because you let out every ounce of the venom simmering inside you, Lady Ariel."
Ariel's bloodlust had radiated with skin-prickling intensity. While Yuna could fake murderous intent with effortless acting, Ariel was notoriously clumsy at deception. If Ariel had shown even a flicker of awkward hesitation back there, Loki might have grown suspicious.
That was why Yuna had deliberately baited her, drawing out genuine killing intent before luring her far away from the scene. Because Ariel had attacked with everything she had, nobody would ever suspect they shared any connection. In fact, even Yohan, who was on the exact same side, had believed it was completely real.
And there was one more thing. Yuna had proven her mettle. She wasn't just riding on an empty reputation; she had definitively toyed with a mage bordering on the realm of an Archmage. Displaying that kind of prowess added immense credibility to the fictitious organization they were posing as.
"Well, it seems Lady Ariel honestly believed she could beat me."
"..."
Ariel pouted, but she gave a reluctant nod. Yes, she really had thought she could win. Among her peers, she had never encountered anyone stronger than herself.
Even the Third Imperial Princess, Lobelia, whom she served, was a step below her. Yet today, that unshakable confidence had been thoroughly shattered by Yuna. Trying to blame it on the suppressant's aftereffects was a flimsy excuse when Yuna had moved with so much effortless leisure throughout the entire bout.
"Well, what can you do? I'm a genius too, you know. While you were stalled, I kept on growing."
Under normal circumstances, Yuna wouldn't have been able to defeat Ariel in an open, head-on battle. Their elemental affinities and combat styles naturally favored Ariel. But after crossing paths with monsters like Tillis and Faust, Yuna had acutely felt the need to hone her skills. Did anyone think she just slacked off all day? Even when asking Yohan to hang out, she always chose the training grounds, proving how relentlessly disciplined she was.
"...Just you wait."
"Hm?"
"Once Yohan cures my illness, beating someone like you will be child's play."
"Oho?"
At Ariel's declaration of war, Yuna clutched her stomach and burst into laughter. While her exaggerated mockery grated on Ariel's nerves even further, Yuna sneered, "Puhihihi! Try it if you can."
With that mocking chuckle, she vanished into thin air.
While Yuna was entertaining Ariel, Lobelia—left alone after losing Yohan's party—brushed back her hair and made her way toward the trade city of Creta. From an outsider's perspective, she had let a suspicious group slip right through her fingers. It wouldn't have been surprising if Loki mocked her for it. And yet...
"My, my. Second Brother seems to be wearing quite the sour expression."
"You..."
Rather, it was Lobelia who was smirking.
She had let Yohan's group escape, yes. While they had certainly caught her off guard, tracking them down wouldn't have been impossible if she had truly set her mind to it. If she had pushed the pursuit, it probably wouldn't have taken her five minutes to round them up. But she hadn't. The reason, of course, was obvious.
"My back was burning so fiercely from a certain someone's stare that I couldn't help but get distracted."
"You incompetent wretch..."
"Oh, my apologies, Brother. Was there some pressing reason I should have caught them? They were suspicious, certainly, but did they commit some terrible crime?"
"Tsk..."
"No, they are benefactors who intervened to stop our clash," Theseus chimed in.
"Then it seems I nearly committed a grave discourtesy."
Loki clicked his tongue at Lobelia's mocking banter, while Theseus praised her restraint.
Thus, the three contenders widely considered the most prominent candidates for the imperial throne gathered in one place. Theseus, who had cast everything aside yet still commanded the unwavering adoration of the masses. Loki, whom everyone feared, yet who was more ruthless and calculating than anyone alive. And Lobelia, who seemed like an equal blend of them both.
"Lobelia, I doubt you came all this way just to see me. What brings you here?"
The eldest prince spoke first. Compared to Loki, Lobelia was still on the benevolent side, allowing Theseus to speak to her with relative ease.
"Second Brother was saying things he normally never would, so I came out of concern that he might do something drastic."
"Things he normally never says? What did Loki say to you?"
"While I was away recuperating, he actually took the trouble to ask after my health."
"Good heavens, such a thing happened?"
At Lobelia's sarcastic quip, Theseus widened his golden eyes in mock astonishment. Anyone could see it was a melodramatic act.
"Tsk."
Loki clicked his tongue once more at the duo's ridiculous theater and turned on his heel. The plan had failed. Originally, his scheme was to bring down both Theseus and the summoned Lobelia in one fell swoop, but things had gone awry from the very first move.
In the end, a plan was something tossed into the wastebasket the moment it began. Loki decided not to linger on regret. In his life, his successes vastly outnumbered his failures. There would always be a next time. And if an opportunity didn't exist, he could simply manufacture one, just as he had done today. For now, however, the priority was clear.
"Those damned clowns..."
Tracking down and eliminating the ones in possession of the antidote took precedence above all else.
"Hmm, it appears Loki intends to return. What about you, Lobelia?"
"Who can say? To you, Brother, am I not merely an uninvited guest?"
"Nonsense. How could I ever treat family as an unwelcome guest?"
"What if I am here not as family, but as royalty?"
"Well, that would be rather uncomfortable, wouldn't it?"
"Indeed."
Theseus had washed his hands of the succession struggle entirely. Yet his lingering influence was immense; should he ever throw his weight behind a faction, the entire balance of power would violently shift. Of course, that moment would also mark the instant the cold war erupted into open conflict. Theseus's endorsement was a colossal power, but it was also a loaded trigger. And no one understood that truth better than Theseus himself.
"In that case, may I trouble you for a cup of tea?"
"Tea, you say?"
Under normal circumstances, Lobelia would have departed without a second glance. Today, however, was slightly different.
"My dear friend appears rather exhausted, so I doubt we can make the return journey right away."
Lobelia gestured toward Ariel, who was only just entering Creta's perimeter. Just as Lobelia said, Ariel looked completely drained, limping forward while leaning heavily on her staff. Her battle with Yuna had taken a severe toll on her.
"And I'd also like to hear about those clowns who slipped away from me. To be honest, I'm beginning to wonder if the real clown wasn't me all along."
She had dug relentlessly into the truth of the incident only to find the crisis already resolved by the time she arrived. What was more, the one who cleaned up the mess was Yohan—a man who had sworn to remain locked away in the Cradle. Whatever whim had prompted his sudden change of heart, it left her feeling profoundly hollow.
"I am not entirely sure what you mean, but... yes, it is best you know. They are my saviors, and I would hate to see you clash with them over an unnecessary misunderstanding."
"Well, I hold no grudge against them either. After all, Second Brother's face just now was quite a sight to behold."
"You really need to temper that sharp tongue of yours."
Lobelia merely shrugged and walked off to support Ariel, who was still trudging toward them in exhaustion.
Watching his younger sister walk away, Theseus gathered the unconscious girl into his arms. Whatever conversation lay ahead, their destination was already decided.
"Good grief..."
Theseus looked around at the half-demolished clinic—the very building he had wrecked while fighting to protect the girl.
"I'll have to think long and hard about what face to show the old man."