Chapter 109
Chapter 109
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 109
Chapter Title: Aftermath at Saint Maria (1)
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After Morte of the Pestilence vanished with the Vita sisters using the Queen's Unholy Tiara.
The chilling killing intent, like a hand squeezing my heart, vanished in an instant as if melting into thin air.
Did he really run away? Or is he just hiding, waiting for a chance to ambush us?
The atmosphere on site remained tense, not easily dispelled by such a perfectly reasonable suspicion.
But that was a thought only possible for those who didn't know about the Unholy Tiara, one of the most overpowered artifacts in existence.
When the undead that had been rampaging through the auction house finally lost their forms and crumbled, the tension finally snapped.
He suddenly appeared by smashing through the ceiling, then disappeared by leaping through space.
Both his entrance and his exit were utterly absurd.
“…”
Then, suddenly, I felt a stinging pain on my lip, accompanied by the distinct taste of iron.
I unconsciously raised a hand to touch it, and my fingertip came away faintly stained with red blood.
It seemed the presence and killing intent radiating from a foe as powerful as one of the Seven Extremes was so intense…
...that I had bitten my lip hard without realizing it.
I mean, I almost died before Raven helped me. It wasn't so strange.
‘Ugh… Still, it snapped me back to my senses. I need to get out of here, fast. Getting caught would be a huge problem.’
Of all the things I could have used, it had to be Holy Magic!
Thinking back on it now, no matter how desperate the situation, it wasn't a power I could handle.
There are probably enough clerics trying to revive Holy Magic to fill a stadium.
If word got out to them, I might even be tortured to give up my secrets.
Morte, a necromancer, had even called me by the baffling title of 'Saintess of Earth'.
It was practically a given that I'd be inundated with requests now.
‘And… if I linger any longer, the transformation will wear off. That'll be a whole other headache.’
My current form was created with the Tesseract, so I only had a few minutes left at most.
If I suddenly reverted to Yuria in front of Raven or Alice…
…I couldn't even imagine what kind of excuse I'd have to come up with.
So, I quietly shifted my gaze, confirmed no one was paying much attention to me, and then…
…I began to sneak away, backing up as quietly as possible.
Or rather, I tried to.
If Raven hadn't spun around and aimed his gun at me.
“Hey, where do you think you're going? Holy power… I have a lot of questions for you. So, you'd be wise not to even think about running. There are more Fixers here than you can count. You'll be caught for sure.”
“…”
Does that guy have eyes in the back of his head?
My palms slick with cold sweat, I had no choice but to stop trying to escape.
Even if I ran at full speed, I'd be caught in seconds. It was pointless resistance, no matter how I looked at it.
Did he sense my resignation?
Raven slowly lowered his gun and relaxed his tense shoulders.
There wasn't a trace of hostility in his eyes, as if to say he had no intention of harming me.
But unlike how he usually looked at me, his gaze was emotionless, as if he were looking at an inanimate object.
Hmm, my hair color is the same… but I'm a little taller, and I have beast-like ears and a tail.
It seemed he hadn't realized I was Yuria at a glance. Is that a relief?
‘No, relief or not, if I can't escape, I'm already in deep trouble! Wh-what do I do?!’
Raven seemed to have no intention of letting me go, like a crocodile that had clamped down on its prey.
At this rate, I'd be captured and forced to spill everything I knew.
If I reverted to my human form as Yuria here, he'd question how I did it.
Then the Tesseract would be exposed, and maybe even my psychic powers—a truly dizzying moment of crisis!
Creating a pressurizing atmosphere, Raven turned to Alice, who was standing awkwardly, and spoke.
“…Well, I'm not trying to scare you. After all, it looks like you've also been marked by Morte. My point is, we should help each other. Tsk… Was I being too intimidating?”
“Yes. Anyone watching would have thought you were a mean adult bullying a child.”
At Alice's words, Raven gave a small cough and touched the back of his hand to his forehead.
Did he really have no intention of pressuring me, someone who fought alongside him against Morte?
He scratched his head, looking quite sheepish.
Then he quickly turned away, continuing without looking in my direction.
“Anyway… that's the gist of it. We'll protect you somehow, so don't run off. Just stay put. Alice, watch over this person and get some rest. Morte might not have gone far. I'm going to track his trail.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“If it's an emergency… call Victor. That guy is completely exhausted from tearing dozens of high-level undead apart with his bare hands. He's resting up there.”
“Eek, is Mr. Victor a gorilla or something?”
“Worse than that.”
Raven said with a smirk, then disappeared at a brisk pace toward the stairs.
With the undead gone, things here seemed manageable enough even without him.
It seemed he intended to check the surroundings, just in case Morte was still nearby.
For me, this was a huge stroke of luck.
With Raven around, I couldn't escape his radar no matter how hard I struggled.
But with just Alice, I might be able to find an opportunity!
“Mr. Jin is gone… Hah, he's really an amazing person.”
Alice stared at Raven's retreating back and muttered to herself in a daze.
Then, as if exhausted from her fight with the Vita sisters, she slumped down near me.
Just then, Tamamo, who had been frozen like a statue and quietly observing the situation ever since Morte appeared, cautiously approached her and asked.
“Um, hey… Alice-chan? I've been meaning to ask, what's your relationship with that man? He seems like a pretty incredible person…”
“Huh? Ah… He's just, uh, the boss at my workplace? Ahaha…”
“Heeh… I see. You've found a good connection, Alice-chan. I was honestly a little worried, but now I'm relieved.”
Tamamo said this as she demurely sat down next to Alice, her fatigue clearly visible.
She had, after all, been wounded so badly she could barely stand.
It was striking how her eyes were half-closed, as if she might fall asleep at any moment.
Seeing Tamamo like this, it was as if some knot in Alice's heart had come undone.
She smiled brightly, just like her usual self, and shared her honest feelings.
“I was really surprised when I heard you became the student council president, Tamamo. And fighting those monsters all by yourself earlier... You really are amazing.”
“Nyahaha. It's not worth that much praise. I was only able to buy time in there thanks to this.”
“Oh, is that… the thing from the auction earlier…?”
“Yep. The Archmage's Orb. Well, it broke in half during the fight… so I can't use it anymore.”
I wonder if I can get a refund for this~
Looking very regretful, Tamamo took the bisected orb from her clothes.
The Archmage's Orb's function was to help with the smooth control of magic power.
It seemed this artifact had been a great help in allowing her to face the Vita sisters alone.
Since it was an item with many potential uses, it was a shame that it had broken beyond repair.
But you could also call it a touching sacrifice, as it had fulfilled its role against a powerful enemy.
Wait, does this mean now's my chance to find out what's embedded in that orb?
I carefully approached Tamamo, who was sitting on the floor, and gently tapped her shoulder.
“…”
“What is it? Do you want to take a look?”
“…!”
“Well, it's broken, so I don't really mind…”
The orb wasn't just cracked; it was completely broken in two. It was now a useless piece of junk.
As if it didn't matter to her, Tamamo handed me the orb, inviting me to inspect it.
I bowed my head in response to her kindness, then carefully took the orb in both hands and cautiously peered inside.
And at the unexpected sight, I couldn't help but widen my eyes in surprise behind my mask.
‘This… isn't just a simple fragment? It's something more complex, perhaps closer to a Tesseract or an Echo.’
No wonder I could feel its presence so clearly even from a distance. So this was why.
However, no voice came to me even when I touched it. Maybe it was because I was in my beastman form.
Still, it was definitely an item related to the Invaders.
I was almost certain it possessed a tremendous ability. This… would be hard to give up on.
But it would be difficult to just take this from the orb in the current situation.
Even if the orb was junk, it would be noticeable if the thing that was firmly embedded inside suddenly disappeared.
Even if I was determined to get it someday, now was not the time.
With the orb's value greatly diminished, I was sure an opportunity would present itself eventually.
Having made my decision, I acted as if I'd had a good look and obediently returned the broken orb to Tamamo.
Then, with a very natural air, I looked at Alice pleadingly, as if I had some business to attend to.
“Hm? Is there something you need…?”
“…!”
Normally, since I was wearing a mask, she wouldn't have noticed I was looking at her.
But perhaps due to her frequent interactions with me, Alice seemed to have quickly grasped the meaning of my gaze.
I nodded at Alice's question and then pointed down the hall, as if to say I was going to the restroom.
“Oh, the restroom? Ummm… Go ahead. I'll wait here.”
“…”
Huh, she's just letting me go?
If she had followed me like she was watching me, I was planning to lead her in circles to shake her off and then change back to my original form.
This development… was actually very good for me.
She would never imagine someone changing from human to beastman, and from beastman back to human.
Even someone like Raven wouldn't be able to connect a cat-like beastman who uses holy power with the ordinary Yuria.
This was it! I felt as if I had just crossed the peak of a treacherous mountain.
In high spirits, I walked alone toward the restroom with a light step, as if to say I'd be right back.
The moment I turned the corner of the hallway and was out of sight, I naturally reverted to Yuria's form and ran to find Sabrina, who had evacuated downstairs.
“Y-Yuria…! Here!”
“…!”
As if she had been waiting at the evacuation spot outside the hotel, Sabrina returned the fox mask she had been holding.
Only after I had swapped back to my original mask could I finally breathe a sigh of relief, feeling that I had narrowly escaped the crisis.
Hehe, they can search the hotel for a hundred days for the missing cat beastman. I've already escaped!
I felt a surge of confidence welling up from deep within my chest.