40. The Standoff (1)
The crows were chattering among themselves.
"What should we do about the boy side, Master Claude?"
"Leave that side alone. The plaza is already causing a big commotion. It's too noticeable."
In the space filled with those crows, one man stood.
Their master. The one who spoke through the crows' mouths. Claude, the Apostle of the Shadow Cult.
Once, Rubshi had secretly conducted an experiment on children while delaying her retirement.
Since they could observe the children's movements through the crows from the sky, it was a good day when two of them entered the underground waterway.
She threw a 'nucleus' into the mix.
Whether these would turn out well or die, with no lingering attachment to Rubshi's life. If they lived, they were talented enough to be acknowledged.
Eventually, the fusion signal cut off in an instant. They vanished without a trace.
From the circumstances, it was likely the boy side who handled it. They weren't always heading to the underground waterway, so she had expected some level of power. But since she didn't know what method they used, it was on hold.
For now, dealing with Rubshi and the girl side came first.
"..."
Claude opened his mouth, recalling that day.
.
.
.
"I acknowledge the children's potential. However, Rubshi. There's no time left. That person is waiting for you."
The crow opened its beak.
Perched on the shoulder of one of the people in black clothes, it spoke in a rough voice.
She remembered. A vague memory from her previous life surfaced. She had seen such scenes several times in the game.
The Apostle who manipulated crows and was knowledgeable in human anatomy and medicine.
Rubshi was unpleasant, but she couldn't be called completely bad. Or perhaps she would have been dragged to the cult long ago without considering Sugar's wishes.
But Claude could be called a villain. Apostles were generally not likable, but this one was particularly detestable.
'The Apostle who directly damaged her senses and vocal cords...'
It felt as if blood was flowing backwards.
In the midst of this, Rubshi calmly opened her mouth.
"Claude. Why are you so impatient? Did someone come chasing you?"
With a smile, she asked if he had eaten, in a rather normal tone.
"You said that person is waiting for you. Don't focus on other things."
"Did that person point me out? It expressed that there's no time. How can you arbitrarily misinterpret that person's intent?"
"Interpreting it as disobedience, I suppose."
"You can't properly wrap your personal will in that person's intent."
"Personal? Does this look like a personal matter?"
The cult followers surrounded Sugar and Rubshi.
"Everyone is waiting for your miserable breath to reach that person. Why do you keep delaying? It's been several months. A year has passed. If that's not disobedience, what is?"
Declaring retirement but not returning no matter how much time passed. Using this as a pretext to move the cult. Rubshi slightly tightened her grip on her cane.
"I also want to rest by that person's side soon. But that's not the end. Even if I disappear, the cult will continue. Don't you think about preparing for that?"
"And several months have passed. If it were me, I would have taken those children long ago."
"If it were you, you would have forcibly taken them. That is something that must not be done."
"Hah. Now that you say that, it makes me feel even more pitiful. You say it's for the cult, but you don't force that one thing? It's completely impossible to communicate, you disobedient one."
"Hey..."
"You're too impatient. Stubborn. It feels like you're being chased by something. You're in a panic because there's something you want to do but can't because of me?"
"Enough with the nonsense."
"Hey..."
"At this opportunity, spill your guts and talk. Are the other Apostles watching? What exactly are you all planning? What are you hiding from me? You are the disobedient ones—"
"Rubshi. Cancel your statement immediately."
"I said it with resolve. If I cancel it, will I stop this action? Since it's come to this, I'll go to the end."
"You seem to have aimed for this moment. Fine, if you want, I'll do it."
Rubshi took her stance. The followers were about to draw their weapons one by one.
"Hey!"
Sugar's voice rang out at a good timing.
At that moment, all the crows, Rubshi, and the followers turned to look at Sugar.
"Ah... that's it."
She was flustered. Sugar cleared her throat and opened her mouth.
"... Adults fighting, and a kid getting in the way is awkward, right? Can I step back? I have no intention of joining that side. Just pretend I wasn't there."
Scratching her head, if she said that, Rubshi replied.
"Yes. Send the kid away."
"... Then since the child to be taken is gone, shall we do the retirement ceremony right away?"
"That's not it, Claude."
"Really, that's not the case. You're completely acting on your own."
When Sugar joined from the side, the crow sighed.
"The conversation never ends."
Before the words finished, the followers began their attack.
As if they had synced, they moved as one body.
Whoa whoa, if she was panicking, Rubshi blocked in front of Sugar.
"Sugar. Wait a moment."
"Huh? Wait a sec-"
"Illusion."
With the chant, she tapped her cane on the ground. An otherworld unfolded in front of Sugar.
Shining sunlight. The cry of a new cuckoo.
Looking around, it was high in the trees. The place was so high that one could reach the clouds. It wasn't cold. Looking around, Rubshi, the followers, and the crows were nowhere to be seen.
Sugar pinched her cheek.
It hurt.
Even Sugar, who didn't know much about magic, felt Rubshi's power through her skin.
At the same time, a question arose.
'Such a beautiful sight...'
Magic was soon imagination.
How did she recall such a scene when she couldn't see?
"... And how do I wake up from this?"
While Sugar was bewildered in the illusion.
Rubshi was confronting the followers who had stopped their movements.
The followers trembled as they saw horrifying illusions one by one.
In an instant, Rubshi suppressed them all. She looked at the crow. Although she couldn't see in front, it was courtesy to speak to the one talking.
"Releasing it will be difficult. Or will you release them one by one instead?"
Once she had gone to the scene directly, but from some point, she always watched from afar and only gave orders. To such a colleague whose answer was obvious, the crow spread its wings and flew into the air without a word.
Cawing loudly, the followers who were watching the hallucination opened their mouths one after another.
Aaaaa, kyaah, gwaaa—
They screamed as if in chorus.
The end was explosion, as before.
This time, instead of the crow, flesh and blood splattered. The smell of blood was pungent.
"Ah... This is really not good..."
Continuously sacrificing precious followers. Rubshi made a sad face. Or rather, the crow that was flying in the sky spat something from its throat.
A new black stone fragment fell to the ground. Using that as the nucleus, the body fragments began to gather.
"This is a sacrifice to stop the disobedient. Accept it piously."
"Do you think you can catch me with this kind of action?"
"Of course not."
The golem made of corpses ran towards the quietly sitting Sugar. Despite its heavy and slimy body, its speed was fast.
In front of it, Rubshi blocked and chanted.
"Explosion."
Just before it exploded, the fragments scattered in the air. Half were caught in the explosion and burned, but the other half safely left the blast radius.
At that moment, the crow dropped a second stone fragment. It fell above Sugar's head.
Rubshi quickly chanted a defense spell.
"Protection."
A thin barrier made of magic covered Sugar.
The newly gathered body fragments using the second stone fragment as the nucleus. The heavy meat lump bounced off the barrier.
At that moment, it scattered again and covered Rubshi.
The direction was bad. Last time it was behind Sugar, but now it was facing Sugar. If she chanted "Explosion" now, Sugar would be caught too.
'Of course I have Protection set...'
It was better to go safely.
Rubshi first leaped back widely.
"... Ah!"
There was a hole in the ground where she stepped. As if prepared in advance for someone who can't see. Rubshi's posture collapsed, and she leaned on the cane to the ground.
And hurriedly looking ahead, a wall of magic had been erected.
Of course, it only looked that way to Rubshi's eyes, and in reality, it was the wall of corpse fragments blocking the way.
Just as she was about to jump to the side, the crow was already diving towards Sugar.
'No...!'
So, running, a low voice came from behind.
"Explosion-"
Startled, turning around, a human head was falling.
Through the empty-eyed head, Claude muttered the chant. A wand was stuck in one eye socket.
All conditions for activating magic were in place.
Sugar was the bait.
Even if she realized, it was already too late to chant the defense spell. She only instinctively expanded her magic power to the vital point.
The rough explosion covered Rubshi.
"..."
The acrid smell stung her nose.
But it wasn't the time to stop. She wasn't a body that would die from this much.
'Injuries...'
When she focused on checking her body condition, oddly, there was no pain.
"...?"
It wasn't hot or painful. Her body was thrown to the ground, her hips and back were sore. There was something heavy colliding near her stomach, making it stuffy, but that was it.
Opening her eyes slightly, she saw a small flow of magic power surrounding her.
"... Sugar?"
"Wow... really that human... cruel... no matter what... even if it's the same side..."
In an instant, Sugar had gathered internal magic power, and with the aftershock, she said while breathing heavily.
From here to here. She had jumped in an instant. By throwing her body, she saved Rubshi from the explosion.
A trick like teleportation.
"No, how..."
"Is it illusion magic? That just... 'release' used multiple times... huh, it came off..."
"... What?"