Floor 37: The Kidnapping (2)
No one moved. Even with my Flash Step deactivated, it felt as though time itself had frozen for a moment.
The sudden turn of events seemed to have short-circuited the elves' brains entirely.
Then chaos broke loose in its wake. An elf scrambling to draw her weapon a beat too late, another standing frozen in place, another shrieking at everyone to put their weapons down……
"Throw down your weapons, all of you!"
Roxanne's cry rang out across the plain, cutting through the chaos.
Only then did the elves lower their weapons.
In the silence that followed, every one of them stared at me with eyes burning with fury.
Well, the furious glares were fine by me. All I needed was a chance to speak.
But just as I opened my mouth, the elf leader, still trembling violently inside my coat, managed to croak out a few words.
"P-please…… why are you doing this……"
"Quiet."
After tightening my grip and giving her one more warning, I turned my gaze to the gathered elves.
"Lord Kwon Suhyeok……!"
Oh, these elves, seriously…….
Just as I launched into my prepared speech, Roxanne beat me to the punch this time.
Her face was full of betrayal, her silver eyes shaking violently.
"Why? Why would you do this? You betrayed humanity to save the Sky Whale! I thought you were someone like that!"
"That doesn't mean cannibalism and indiscriminate terrorism get a free pass. And your goal of wiping the human race off the map is even worse."
"Humans are nothing but a blight upon natur——"
"Enough!"
I cut Roxanne off with a sharp bark.
Worried she might call on the spirits' power, I pressed the dagger closer to the leader's throat.
Whether that registered as a threat or not, Roxanne instinctively took a step back.
"Your leader comes with me. Stay quiet for a few days and I'll let her go—so don't go starting some fool 'rescue mission' and ruining it!"
Feeling the threat fell a little short, I added one more line.
"I can watch your every move at any time. If I see even a whisper of an army on the move, your leader dies."
"Lord Kwon Suhyeok!"
Leaving Roxanne's voice shouting behind me, I opened a portal to Deleil.
And as I stepped through it, I made sure to deliver one last warning.
"Remember it. A few days. Stay quiet for just a few days."
The moment I crossed through, I sealed the portal shut behind me.
Whew.
The breath I'd been holding came out in a rough rush. My skin still prickled from all those venomous glares.
It was the first time in my life I'd been on the receiving end of such raw, unfiltered hostility and rage.
And because I wasn't used to it, my heart felt all the more heavy for it.
I was standing in place, catching my breath, when one of the climbers on watch spotted me.
"Oh! Lord Kwon Suhyeok is back!"
"What? Really?"
"Yeah! And he brought an elf with him!"
"Looks like it worked!"
"The operation was a success!"
It was still early evening—not yet time to sleep—so the climbers resting around camp came running at once.
I released the elf leader, who was still frozen in terror.
She hardly had any strength to speak of anyway.
She'd been wound so tight that the instant I let go, she crumpled to the ground in a heap.
Hm… I suppose I don't have to help her up?
No. Still, she was the leader of an entire race. It'd be too callous otherwise.
I took her by the wrist and pulled her to her feet.
Her name was……
"Delina, was it? I won't harm you, so stay put and behave."
A mix of fury and wariness chased after me in her gaze.
Well, not my problem. I turned my eyes to the climbers instead.
Huh? A few of them were unfamiliar faces, and I blinked in mild surprise.
Had they joined in the last day?
It wasn't something to dwell on now, so I smiled at the assembled climbers.
"Has everyone been doing well? Camping out like this must have been rough……"
"Haha, it's only been a day. You're the one who worked hard, Suhyeok. So this is the elf leader?"
One of the climbers who'd answered gave the quietly standing Delina's leg a kick.
What was that about?
Irritation flared up in me instantly. Who did this guy think he was, acting like that right in front of me?
"What do you think you're doing?"
"…Excuse me?"
"I asked what you just did."
"She's a hostage anyway, I just gave her a little kick——"
"Don't. She's a person, same as you."
"I-I'm sorry, sir."
The climber hastily bowed his head.
I must have let my annoyance leak into my voice and expression more than I intended. Not that I felt like softening it.
The air had gone cold. Cecilia hurriedly pushed the climber out from under my gaze.
"Thank you for your hard work. You must be exhausted—please go get some rest at camp."
With that, Cecilia wrapped a hand around Delina's arm and tilted her head toward me: shall we move?
I nodded that I understood, and for a moment, my eyes met Delina's.
Her gaze had lost a good deal of the fire from before.
Her eyes were a tangle of complicated emotions.
But the thought that she'd look at me that way over this made me turn away.
Come to think of it, I remembered the Sky Whales I'd left behind on Loren Plain.
They'll disperse and head home on their own, right?
I had told them at the end to return to where they'd come from, but……
Even after all the help they'd given me, leaving them just like that made me feel a little guilty.
Pfft. No, it doesn't.
By rights, they were meant to be used in the war against the elves. This was far better treatment than that.
They had no real intelligence, but I figured they'd rather carry me around than hover beside an airship while elves attacked them.
Because the mood was so sour, the climbers scattered to their own corners the moment we entered the camp.
Cecilia picked two of them to keep watch over Delina, then came over to me.
I had a fair guess what she wanted to say.
"Lord Suhyeok, there's something I must tell you."
"The newly joined climbers?"
The instant I answered, Cecilia's eyes went wide.
"…That's right. You caught on immediately."
"They've been with us for days now. Surely you didn't think I wasn't paying any attention at all?"
"What? No—of course not, obviously not."
At my words, Cecilia looked visibly flustered.
It was real? I can't believe she thought of me that way…….
My disappointment must have shown in my face, because Cecilia hurriedly changed course.
"W-well, I should start with an apology. We accepted other neutral climbers into camp without your permission, Lord Suhyeok."
Cecilia stared at the ground, looking thoroughly ashamed.
Well, I could guess the reason. It had been unavoidable—hardly Cecilia's fault.
"I understand. They were the neutral climbers camped nearby, right? You couldn't exactly turn them away flat."
"Yes. But here's the problem—some of the climbers talked about your plan, Lord Suhyeok."
…What.
…Hm.
That I could not let slide.
If word leaked out by accident, everything would come apart.
A deep sigh escaped me.
So they're kicking away their own good fortune with their own two feet.
And here I'd thought these were people with at least some sense in their heads.
Cecilia rushed on.
"To be honest, before they joined, I warned everyone not to speak of it to outsiders. But some of them had party members already here… and from that, it spread."
"The climbers who joined haven't left the area, have they?"
"No, I've been watching them closely. I gave them a separate warning as well, and the night watch is staffed only with people I trust."
"…Nothing to be done, then. You can't manage every single person. And on top of everything else, you've been working hard."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. What does Cecilia have to apologize for? It wasn't your mistake. If anything, I should thank you for looking after things so carefully."
A faintly moved expression crossed Cecilia's face.
Had she really expected me to tear into her?
Just what kind of person did she take me for……
Haah—no. It's my fault for coming across that way.
"We don't have much time left. Keep a close eye on the elf leader and the newly joined climbers. Naturally, I'll be watching too."
"Yes, I'll also manage the original climbers carefully so none of them slip away."
The next morning, I infiltrated Deleil and gathered intel.
At first, I'd been somewhat disappointed—because the kings had already held their first meeting the day before. But the plan wasn't ruined.
The kings are all still in Deleil.
Word was the coalition hadn't yet reached an agreement among themselves.
The kings based in the west were demanding swift reinforcements, while the eastern kings were playing hardball.
Even on the brink of catastrophe, they were angling for their own advantage.
I'd read of such things often enough in history books that it surprised me not at all—only reminded me that wherever people gathered, the same old story played out.
The important thing is that the second summit is tomorrow.
The king of Deleil had hurriedly soothed the western kings who were about to storm home in a rage.
Tomorrow morning, eleven o'clock.
I'd gotten all the information I needed and was about to head back to camp when—click—the signal flare went off for the first time in a while.
At first I thought it was Dobby.
My heart jumped—had something gone wrong at camp?—but when I hurriedly checked the signal, it turned out to be Ha Heijeong.
Huh? What's this, all of a sudden?
I sent a signal back, and Ha Heijeong sent one again in return.
Since there'd been no reply last time, I gathered this meant she wanted to meet.
I slipped into a quiet, deserted alley and sent the signal again.
Before long, Ha Heijeong appeared. She was wearing a bit of a sour look.
Had something happened to put her in a mood?
"Well, well. You finally waited around, huh?"
Ha Heijeong said it with a pointed sniff.
Oh. That meant she was upset with me?
A chill ran down my spine.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Last time, I sent you a signal. Why'd you just walk off?"
"Huh? Wasn't that you just checking whether I was the one who caused that commotion in Deleil?"
Even as I said it, the realization hit me. Oh no. That signal hadn't been a confirmation—it had been an invitation to meet…….
"I obviously thought you knew. You were right there in Deleil, and I figured we'd talk while you were around—but you'd already gone when I came to find you."
"Then send the signal one more time. I'd have come back."
"Do I really have to spell that out for you? I don't think I do."
Ha Heijeong answered her own question.
Hm. No matter how I turned it over, this one wasn't my fault.
If she'd wanted to talk, all she had to do was send another signal…….
I stared back at her, unflinching. And at my stubborn look, Ha Heijeong let out a sigh and changed the subject.
"Whatever, forget it. I was going to brief you on the summit, but seeing as you're already here, I'm guessing you've heard?"
"Yeah. Tomorrow, eleven in the morning."
"And obviously you've got the elf leader secured?"
I nodded.
"Resting comfortably at a camp near Deleil."
"You know where the conference hall is?"
Ha Heijeong asked it like a formality, confirming the obvious.
"…No, not yet."
"Hm? Didn't you find it last time?"
"The fortress is bigger than I thought. I got caught by a Master while I was wandering around."
"Ugh, so what's your plan for tomorrow, exactly?"
"Walk in and find it, I figured."
"You got caught by a Master last time. There'll be even more of them guarding outside the hall tomorrow, you know?"
Come to think of it, I'd heard Ha Heijeong had attended the last summit as the representative of the human faction's climbers.
"Tell me about last time, then. Let's see how far you got."
At her request, I recounted my previous infiltration.
Partway through listening, Ha Heijeong abruptly cut me off.
"Hold on—the room you jumped out of. Describe it again."
"Hm? You mean where the Master was guard——"
"No, not that. You would've seen the inside of the room too."
I'd bolted straight out the window, so my memory of it wasn't exactly crisp.
I dug through my recollection of that moment as best I could.
"Uh… there was a huge round table in the center, and there were furnace paintings on the walls. That's all I've got."
"Hmmm. I see."
Something about the way Ha Heijeong answered was off.
Not wildly off—just a subtle difference that only someone who'd known her as long as I had would catch.
So the room I dropped into was the conference hall.
Anyone else might have missed it, but I couldn't help noticing.
Wait, seriously? THAT was the conference hall?
It was almost absurd. I'd just been running on pure instinct.
Could my sixth sense have actually kicked in back there?
While I was mulling it over, Ha Heijeong thumped me on the shoulder.
"Well, nothing to be done about it now. And I can't tell you anything either—Penalty. You understand?"
"…Of course."
"Good luck tomorrow. See you around."
"See you around, my foot. See you tomorrow. I'll be inside the conference hall."
Ha Heijeong smiled.
I wanted to say thank you, but she'd already nudged me sideways about it, so the words wouldn't come out.
Instead, as she turned to go, I gave her my brightest possible smile, gratitude packed into every inch of it.
"Approximately 6 minutes and 37 seconds remain until 11:10."
The captain spoke while checking the clock.
I would have checked it myself, but this world reckoned time differently from Earth, which made reading it a headache.
Time of the Furnace this, Hour of Tempering that…….
Thankfully, the Tower's help made the captain's words come through in Earth terms.
The meeting had already begun. But I had no intention of going in just yet.
Some kings might still run late. I planned to slip in at the moment the tension eased, even slightly.
Six minutes.
I ran through the cautions with the climbers one final time.
"Let me repeat this. I enter first. Cecilia follows second, bringing Delina."
"Yes, sir!"
"Then, in the order we agreed on, the next group moves in—three climbers per king. Everyone remaining will pin down the guards as they come in."
"Yes, sir."
"Everyone, check your gear one more time."
I'd have to give Cecilia separate instructions too.
"There's a chance Delina may try something unexpected. Watch her closely."
"I'll make certain of it."
The fortunes of my entire Floor hung on what happened next.
Four minutes. Three. Two…
However anxious I felt, the clock kept racing.
"1 minute 25 seconds remaining."
"We move in after one minute. Line up in order."
"53 seconds remaining."
"Priests, please cast your buffs on the assigned climbers now."
At my words, the priests began chanting.
The one with the most buffs stacked on him was me—because of the Masters.
True, only the kings would be inside the hall.
But the Masters would feel the mana ripples of any portal I opened, even from outside.
Flash Step or not, I'd need to move faster than ever.
"5 seconds remaining."
"Get ready!"
I counted the seconds in my head.
Three. Two. One…….
I activated Flash Step and opened the portal.