Chapter 355: A New Vacation (3)
‘Is this good luck? Or bad luck?’
Armonia: This isn't our mission, but the information we've uncovered is undoubtedly useful.
‘In what way?’
Armonia: Zodiac and the Holy War... those two entities have no idea who they're dealing with right now.
They were fighting, but neither knew the other's true identity.
In that situation, we'd just gained the intel first?
Pure gold—something I could sell straight up or pocket as a card to play later.
Armonia: For now, it's best to keep this as our exclusive intel.
‘Right.’
I nodded and turned my gaze back to the girl in the baseball cap.
She was blushing, stealing glances at me.
I looked at her little face, then my eyes drifted up to the top of her cap.
‘What's Ether?’
Armonia: A polymorphic composite weaponized material containing high energy that's just emerged in this world's lore.
‘...Huh?’
Armonia: In simple terms...
Armonia paused for a moment, then neatly organized it in my head.
Armonia: It's a universal substance that can transform into atoms or elements in the world and freely reassemble into any form.
‘Got it!’
One word popped into my mind right away.
The Philosopher's Stone.
The stuff that shows up endlessly in media.
Sure, it had all sorts of settings tacked on depending on the story, but one thing never changed.
Versatility.
‘So that little boy's got Ether level in the dozens or something?’
Armonia: No. Ether is a weaponized material, but only women can wield it.
‘...What the hell.’
What kind of insane property was that?
I like women too, but a mindless hunk of matter liking women? Creepy as hell.
Armonia: I only have limited info, so I don't know much. That boy probably has a disposition specialized in researching and detecting Ether.
‘Ooh... a gifted kid, huh?’
Makes me mad.
Talented from a young age, and he's got two girls (little ones, sure) hanging off him...
Armonia: ...Are you feeling jealous?
‘Nah, no way... I'd never get jealous over a brat like that... I'll kill him.’
Armonia: ....
‘...Kidding.’
Not empty words—no jealousy stirred in me at all.
Why would I envy some punk sandwiched between kids like that?
But now that I'd confirmed he was hostile, even nonexistent jealousy had to be dredged up.
‘Wonder if the brat's got a mom or big sis?’
Armonia: ....
I was lost in those lecherous thoughts when the boy kid jolted in surprise and started whispering to the girls.
“Found it. I've pinpointed the exact location.”
“For real? Then let's go right now!”
The baseball cap girl shot to her feet with a yell, startling Viola beside me into staring at her.
“Is something wrong?”
“Uh... n-no, nothing.”
...Looked like she was about to do something. But she caught our eyes, blushed furiously, sat back down, and muttered.
“Damn... If it was just us, we could've bolted...”
“It's fine. We've got the exact spot this time. It'll be okay.”
“Yeah. And even at night, jumping off here would draw too much attention...”
Kids being kids, they didn't even consider we might overhear, chattering away freely.
‘...What the hell is Ether that these brats think they can just jump off here?’
Armonia: I only have sketchy info too, so I don't know its exact abilities.
‘Armonia.’
Armonia: Yes.
I eyed the baseball cap girl—still blushing and peeking at me—and messaged her.
‘Once we get off, let's tail them.’
The moment we stepped off the Ferris wheel, the three kids gave us a quick wave and bolted.
The boy snuck another glance at Viola, his eyes full of regret, before vanishing.
And I...
‘These brats are faster than they look.’
I'd claimed urgent business and chased after them.
‘You sure this is okay?’
Too late to turn back, but I needed reassurance, so I asked Armonia.
Armonia: It should be fine. The schedule today ended with the parade viewing. We can hit better spots later.
I'd wanted to stick by Viola till the end, but this was important enough to step away.
With a reluctant tone, I messaged:
‘Hit up some better places later.’
Armonia: Understood. Just be cautious—I can't see your field of view right now.
‘Got it.’
I activated stealth to avoid detection and tailed them swiftly.
Where we ended up...
“Here it is.”
A massive warehouse.
The kind you'd stash unused rides or parts in.
The boy swung his detector toward the warehouse while the baseball cap girl beside him asked,
“You sure?”
“Yeah, positive. It's inside. But the door's electronic—I can't open it.”
“Guess no choice then.”
Suddenly, the baseball cap girl scanned the surroundings.
‘Just in case, better hide.’
Even stealthed, I ducked behind a box by the wall and watched intently.
Couldn't spot it up close either, so Ether wasn't that omnipotent.
‘No stealth detection on Ether, huh.’
I was relaxing, watching the kids, when the baseball cap girl and long-hair girl struck poses and muttered.
“Looks like we're clear.”
“Then...”
And the follow-up:
“...turn your head.”
What? Busted?
As I stared in confusion, the boy whipped his head away, yelling excuses.
“Wh-what!? O-okay! I was gonna turn!”
“You gotta know when to look away.”
“I got it, alright!”
...Thought we'd been made for sure.
That's when it happened.
The two girls gripped something, thrust their hands skyward, and shouted in unison.
““Ether On!””
With their cry, light leaked from their bodies like an eruption.
Whatever they held liquefied, enveloping them.
The liquid melted away their clothes, reforming into flashy outfits.
Red for the baseball cap girl, blue for the long-hair one.
Transformation complete, they declared together:
“Let's go!”
“Yeah!”
They grabbed the boy by each hand and leaped to insane heights.
“Hngh!”
“Quiet. You'll get us caught.”
The girls hauled him to a railing ten meters up, slipped through an open window, and vanished.
I could only gape.
‘...What the fuck was that?’
I'd roamed the cosmos, seen all sorts of shit, but this? Mind-blowing.
Anyone could've seen it: straight out of an anime transformation sequence.
As I blankly stared at the window they'd entered, Armonia messaged.
Armonia: What's wrong?
‘Ah!’
I'd been slack-jawed; her message snapped me out.
‘I'll explain later! Gotta chase ‘em.’
I hastily cast wind magic, landed on their railing, and slipped inside.
But...
‘Shit, lost ‘em.’
Armonia: What happened?
‘Well...’
I peered into the warehouse and recounted the scene.
Not much to tell—just that they'd transformed...
Armonia: ...That confirms it. Reports said unique kids in red and blue outfits are disrupting Zodiac.
‘And the boy brat's their leader.’
Picture complete.
The two girls were Zodiac's saboteurs.
Explained why identities stayed hidden.
Outfits changed, even hair color and length...
If I hadn't seen the shift, I'd never peg them as the same.
Armonia: Extremely useful intel. Good call tailing them.
‘Let's dig deeper.’
Armonia: Isn't this enough?
She had a point—this was a massive haul.
Worth handing over for Enel easy.
But something wouldn't let me walk away.
‘They were hunting something specific. Let's ID it before bailing.’
Armonia: ...Understood.
Not some kid's toy—the protagonist of this world was after it too.
Couldn't hurt to know.
The warehouse interior matched the vibe: huge rides and junk piled high.
Probably seasonal storage for stuff too good to scrap.
Problem: the mess hid the kids' tracks perfectly.
‘Damn... lost ‘em. Armonia, can you whip up a perception-jamming cloak?’
Armonia: Possible. Sending upon approval.
I nodded, slipped inside with wind magic, and landed quietly.
Strained my ears, scanning around.
‘Wind magic's too sluggish. If I could hop around like Cho Seo-hyun...’
Weaving between rides, that's when it hit.
A eardrum-shattering roar exploded through the warehouse.
BOOM!!! SCREEECH! KABOOM!!!
‘What!?’
The blast was too massive to pinpoint.
BOOM! SCREEECH! KABOOM!!!
But voices cut through, giving a rough direction.
(It's you punks again!)
(That's our line!)
(Watch out! More than one!)
Just from the chatter, crashing their party screamed headache.
But that vibe meant they were onto something big.
Heading toward the crashes and flying debris, a rustle above me.
A cloak materialized, draping over my head.
‘Nice. Thanks.’
Armonia: Be careful. Support's limited right now.
‘Will do.’
No plans to dive into that melee.
Just wanted to know what the kids sought...
Worst case, warp out.
Gauge was full—two jumps ready.
‘Still, gotta get back to the crew eventually.’
Cloak secure, I crept forward cautiously.
The fight raged on.
Amid the total chaos, one voice rang crystal clear.
BOOM! SCREEECH! KABOOM! BOOM!
(Not letting you escape this time!)
The baseball cap girl's shout pierced through.
‘What is Ether? That's monster-level.’
Armonia: Don't get closer. Too dangerous.
‘Relax. Not advancing. My target's not them anyway.’
Armonia: ...?
One reason I edged toward the crossfire.
The chaos stemmed from whatever the kids hunted.
Only Ether girls could brawl like that.
Which meant...
‘That boy brat's gotta be sneaking around nearby.’
He'd move while they fought.
Stealthed amid the din, that's when I caught it.
“Hah... hah... hah...”
“...?”
I zeroed in on the ragged breathing, peeking through the junk.
There he was: clutching a two-liter transparent cylindrical case, slumped on the floor, panting.
“Hah... hah... Finally... finally found it.”
“...?”
“The Primordial Ether... With this, I can wipe out Drake for good!”
Drake? Some weeb shit...
Armonia clarified before I could gripe.
Armonia: Drake is the group run by Zodiac's protagonist.
‘Ugh... so this dooms them?’
No clue what Primordial Ether was, but his conviction screamed game-changer.
Zodiac or Drake—either way, brutal fight ahead.
‘That Ether?’
Inside the glass cylinder he hugged, a gem-like clear orb softly glowed, orbiting.
Dunno how he'd caught it, but it wasn't breaking out.
‘Smart kid like him? That case ain't ordinary either.’
Armonia: What now?
‘What else...’
I grinned at the brat.
“Uh... ugh...”
Thud.
His arms went limp from sitting; he flopped over, snoring peacefully.
A faint breeze followed...
Roll roll roll.
The case, which should've stayed put, bounced sweetly across the floor and stopped right at my feet.
I lifted it carefully with both hands, peering through at the Ether and the sprawled kid, a sinister smile curling my lips.
“Heh heh heh... Time to pay for shoving me aside and leering at Viola, you little shit.”