Please Don't Act Like You Know
Chronos made an even bigger mistake trying to cover up his previous one.
Whatever reason he had for sealing the demons inside that subspace, stuffing Laward in there with them had been the real problem.
This was not a creature that mere chains could bind.
"Kyaaaaaaah!"
Even so, the demons' screams kept being sucked into my ears.
"What the hell is going on here?"
When I asked, pretending not to know, Chronos forced his expression back into place and turned to face me.
"Sir Karma, my apologies. I never intended to show you a sight like this. It seems the wrapping on this small gift... has come undone of its own accord."
"That much I can figure out myself. So what's the plan now?"
"Give me a moment. This one is thinking as we speak..."
"I didn't expect this kind of welcome. Is the Death God Cult just a worthless pack of maggots, after all?"
"Th-that cannot be! No. This one swears it will still be of use to Sir Karma's revenge!"
"And how am I supposed to believe that after watching this? I have no intention of joining a ragtag circus like yours."
I deliberately needled Chronos, and he grew more cornered by the second. One look at his face was enough to tell.
Of course he would. Meeting me in the south had already wrecked his plans, and now even the Plan B he had cooked up to salvage the situation had fallen apart.
If he had simply walked past me when we met on the train, none of this would have happened. That impatience of his had brought this disaster down on his own head.
I told you so. You played the worst possible hand.
"Please wait. Thinking... thinking..."
"You've been saying that since earlier. Pathetic."
"First... this one will assess the situation."
As if steeling himself, Chronos nodded, then slowly grew translucent and finally vanished.
But right then, I felt a divine power that was not my own.
"Incoming."
"Sir Karma? Incoming? What is—"
Only Chronos's voice, already in spirit form, reached me when—
Whoooooosh—!
A high-pressure beam of light came hurtling straight toward us.
Both Lucia and I knew that spell. F-Rank, Holy Light Emission. The foundational technique of a Holy Knight that I had taught Laward.
The ray grazed past my side and stretched long into the distance. Back at the Dowon Festival it had felt like a thin thread of light; now it was practically a beam weapon.
"Next time I aim properly."
Laward had arrived. Looking exhausted, he trudged forward. The distance had kept him from recognizing me, but he could tell our clothes were different from the prisoners'. The moment we entered his field of vision he had fired a warning shot out of suspicion.
However—
"Ghk...!"
Absurdly enough, the magic meant for the space beside me struck the ghost that had been standing still.
"How... how did you know this one's position...?"
Huh? What happens now...?
097
It was because Laward had fired his divine power not to Daywin's right, but to his left of all places.
Even though Chronos had already turned spectral, the shot hit him dead center. A warning shot had become a perfect aimed strike.
"Ghk... ghk..."
With his abdomen pierced through, Chronos finally sank to his knees. A rush of blood spilled from his mouth.
"Does he have... eyes like Daywin Hasgard's...?"
Chronos muttered as if he could not believe the situation. Of course Laward possessed no Favorability Scouter like Daywin, and the boy himself had no idea he had even hit anything.
Yet regardless of the process, the result remained: Chronos had been struck. A stone thrown without thought had nearly killed the frog—Chronos was on the verge of dying from the blow.
It was Daywin whose Luck stat had risen thanks to the Royal Ring, yet Laward had landed a critical hit on Chronos with outrageous fortune. Whether the chance was 97% or 3%, a critical hit could still trigger. Laward had simply detonated that 3%.
"Ugh...!"
Chronos groaned in pain. And of all people, it had to be Laward. Only Daywin could see Chronos in spirit form, but anyone with divine power could still hurt him. Dragging along Laward—whose Sanctity was SS-Rank—had made the attack land perfectly. Chronos had chosen his own counter.
Daywin Hasgard's disciple. He had been so fixated on the word "disciple" that he had underestimated the boy. Even if pure luck had decided the last blow...
Thud, thud—
Laward kept walking, completely unaware that he had driven Chronos to death's door. And at this distance—
Master...?
He could see. Laward already knew the appearance Daywin took when he used the ring to become Karma. He almost called out to Daywin, then hesitated.
What is going on...?
Laward tilted his head. Meanwhile Daywin looked at him and chanted inwardly,
Catch on. Please catch on. There's a reason I'm in Karma mode.
For some reason Daywin kept glancing left and shaking his head. Laward's gaze shifted from Daywin to the space beside him.
"Ah."
His eyes met Lucia's. She, too, was giving the tiniest shake of her head.
No? Does that mean no? Come to think of it...
Black-haired Daywin. And Senior Lucia. The combination felt like déjà vu.
It's exactly like the Houndry operation.
Fortunately the person standing next to Daywin was Lucia. By pure chance the same lineup had gathered again. Even Laward could not fail to notice.
"Is it time for purification?"
Laward said carefully. Purification. The word he had repeated over and over during the Houndry mission. The moment he used it like a code, both Daywin and Lucia nodded at once.
So he has something in mind. But there's no one here except the prisoners. Why won't he just speak...?
Still unaware of Chronos, Laward could not understand.
"Do you have a sword?"
Daywin asked. Right—the sword. He had lost Holiday, and he had thought he could not face his master again until he found it.
I'm screwed.
How was he supposed to explain?
No matter how I put it, he'll look at me like I'm pathetic...
But they had already exchanged the signal not to act like they knew each other, so he could not apologize here either. And it was not only about pretending not to know. Purification. If it was the same as last time, then the performance would have to continue as well. He would have to recreate that day when they had pretended to fight just enough. Act Two.
"Anything will do. No need to be picky."
Huh?
When he asked if I had a sword... was that not directed at me? Who is he talking to?
Laward checked the cues; it did not seem aimed at Lucia either.
It wasn't to me... then...
Laward secretly smiled.
He doesn't even know I lost my sword...!
The thought that he could buy a little more time filled him with private joy. In truth Daywin had been speaking to Chronos, but to Laward's eyes he was simply stretching a hand into empty air and rambling about a sword.
However—
Sssssk—
Daywin seized the long, guardless blade that appeared from thin air: Laward's Holiday.
Why is that coming out of there...?
The boy who had been rejoicing instantly wore a miserable face.
So Chronos had confiscated it after all. Of course he would never leave a hostage armed.
I gripped Laward's sword in both hands and familiarized myself with the hilt. It felt awkward holding a blade for the first time, but I would not need it long—good enough for rough use.
"My thanks, Sir Karma... that you would step forward... for this one..."
Somehow the situation had ended up looking that way, but of course not. I simply needed to get this idiot back to the Academy as fast as possible.
"This one misjudged... Never imagined even the disciple would possess the same eyes as his master..."
He still thinks Laward spotted him and fired on purpose. The guy is forever jumping to the wrong conclusions—underestimation or overestimation, never anything in between.
"This one is grateful you stood before him... yet this one also has a thought."
He had been "thinking" forever; maybe something had finally occurred to him.
"If Sir Karma would only buy a little time..."
Before Chronos could finish the sentence, Laward charged. Having realized they were putting on another performance like last time, he must have decided he could not just stand around looking awkward. If they were going to do it, they would do it properly. His expression still made it clear he hated every second of it.
Kiiing!
Laward's twin rings spun. This was nothing like the Laward of summer break. The faint halo that had flickered as if it might appear or vanish was gone; he had become an entirely different person.
Kwagagagaga—!
Laward rocketed forward, trailing heat, and the instant he reached for me—
"It is done."
Chronos spoke softly.
"Sometimes one must also know how to go back."
Boom!
A coffin erupted from the ground in a blink, slid forward like oil, and—
Thump—
swallowed the full-speed Laward whole.
"Thank you for your help."
When Blash bowed his head, Amelia waved a hand.
"Hasgard's will is as good as my own. Think nothing of it."
At her words, Kairon beside her gave a small nod as well.
"Ah, this is my brother. He does not normally walk about looking like this, but there is no need to hide it from those Hasgard trusts... and besides," Amelia pointed at the helmet Kairon wore, "there is no reason to conceal this face even abroad."
"Please... look after... my sister..."
"As you can see he is a bit stiff, but bear with him. For all his awkwardness, he is quite excited to walk around in his true form for the first time in ages."
From left to right—Blash, Kaine, and Chris—stared blankly at the pair and tried to make sense of it.
"Still, this is unexpected. Commander, if what you said is true, undead hiding in that sewer would mean the nation itself might be colluding with the Death God Cult, yet you move..." Amelia flicked the hood that covered not only them but herself as well, "so secretly. Hardly the style of the Holy Knights."
"Yes, it is shameful but true. Originally I intended to request formal cooperation as Lord Daywin advised. Collusion or not, that route would at least leave a trail of evidence."
Blash's expression hardened a fraction.
"But the knight-brothers who were supposed to return to headquarters never came back."
As if to keep his darkened face from being seen, Blash strode one step farther ahead and descended into the sewer.
"I meant to learn what they want and what they are aiming for before acting, yet as Knight Commander I can no longer simply stand still. We cannot afford a single moment's delay."
From within her silver helm, Kaine quietly watched Blash's back. Back when they first arrived here, Blash had said he cared nothing for the opinions of the royal house or the Church. Empty your head. Do not think. The Order simply carries out its mission. So long as the brothers and sisters have a place to return to—and so long as they return safely—any order is fine. That was what Blash had said. Yet the final premise had crumbled. After Blash and Kaine left for the south, the ones remaining were to report back to headquarters, but they never returned. They had simply vanished.
"...Damn it."
Amelia wrinkled her nose at the sewer stench. The moment Kairon looked at her with concern—
"Ghk."
Amelia walked straight into Blash's back. And Kairon, still watching his sister instead of the path ahead, buried his helmet into Kaine's massive frame.
Clang—
"Ow... why did you stop all of a sudden..."
"...Ugh."
The royal siblings both cracked their heads and snapped upright. Yet Blash and Kairon stood frozen in place as if they had not heard the voices behind them.
"I say, Commander. What is the matter..."
"...I had hoped Lord Daywin was wrong."
"What did Hasgard say? Did Hasgard say he wanted my face smashed into your armor?"
"...It is gone."
"Hm?"
"There was definitely a statue here... and it is gone."
"Well of course. Time has passed; someone may have cleared it away."
"If it had been cleared away, there would be traces. No one simply lifts and carries a rock that heavy."
At those words Amelia looked down at the sewer floor. Indeed, there were no stone chips, no drag marks from a heavy object.
"Just as Lord Daywin said, it truly moves..."
Clunk!
Something moved farther down the sewer. Reflexively Blash clenched a fist and settled into a stance.
"Kaine. Chris."
"Yes."
Both answered at once.
"Protecting Her Highness the Princess is the first priority."
"Yes."
"There is also the possibility our knight-brothers have become undead. Even if you see them, remain calm. Do not be shaken. They are only corpses."
"Yes, understood."
Gulp. Chris, facing real combat for the first time, swallowed dryly. Then the sound of something walking reached them. The closer the footsteps came, the higher the knights' tension climbed. Chris in particular wanted to seize his wildly thrashing heart and hold it still. The source was near a corner of the sewer. Almost there. Once it rounded the bend, they would see it. Chris gripped his sword hilt even harder.
Sssssk—
At last the owner of the footsteps rounded the corner.
"I'm hungry... where is this now... I have to find Master again..."
Black hair and golden eyes. Laward appeared wearing an expression full of irritation.
"Laward...?"
At the sudden sound of Blash's voice, Laward flinched and looked straight ahead.
"Commander? Everyone... what are you all doing here?"
Looking utterly bewildered, Laward surveyed the five people standing in the sewer passage. Five figures with hoods pulled low. Three Holy Knights, two royals.
"No—before that, where exactly is this place?"