The Light of Hope
Watching Ren and Huey put some distance between themselves with thoroughly dissatisfied faces, Luciella let out a sigh of relief.
"Now that the troublemakers are gone, would you kindly explain?"
Hearing Luciella's voice, Evan knelt before her once more.
"Yes. So, you see..."
"One moment."
"Lady Luciella?"
"I do not care for long stories. Please summarize it in three sentences or fewer."
"......"
Evan fell silent before Luciella's confident, arms-crossed stance.
A moment later—
"First of all, our race is one of the seven races forged by the gods in the age of myth, beings called golems, and led by Queen Ella, Apostle of the god Deneb—"
"...Stop."
Having cut off Evan, who had been spewing words at a speed that made one wonder whether he even breathed, Luciella tightened the chains binding her coffin and gripped them firmly in her hand.
"Fifty characters or fewer per sentence."
Her unyielding demeanor made it clear she would absolutely not tolerate the same trick as before. Evan felt as though cold sweat were pouring from sweat glands he did not even possess, and raised his voice once more.
"...We are a race born when life was granted to constructed bodies — golems."
"Continue."
"Lady Luciella, you are the successor to Ella, Apostle of the god Deneb and Queen of us golems."
"I see."
"And the Tower of Evolution is a repository of technology that the Queen prepared for you, who would one day be left alone."
Under the leadership of Administrator Evan, a place that continuously refined existing techniques and researched new ones — that was the Tower of Evolution.
"I have a question."
"What part are you curious about?"
Having listened to Evan's account, Luciella tilted her head and asked.
"Then this place has nothing to do with the other world?"
"I cannot say it has absolutely no connection... but for the most part, yes."
Because the Tower of Evolution had been sealed off from the outside for so long, endlessly researching only new technology, its technological trajectory would diverge entirely from the world beyond.
"Is there anything else you wish to know?"
"Being granted life in a constructed body... that includes me as well?"
"Yes. The successor who received life in a body the Queen crafted with her own hands. That is you."
"That's..."
At those words, Luciella hung her head in silence, as though struck by a heavy blow.
"I know this must be a great shock, but—"
"Then... my chest will stay like this forever...?"
Immediately after, Luciella muttered in a gloomy voice, one hand resting on her chest. Evan, who had been rising from his seat intending to comfort her, froze solid on the spot.
"...Ahem."
Having barely collected himself, Evan stood. After briefly regarding Luciella — who was tearfully tapping at her own chest with a pitiful expression — he spoke.
"It seems the time has come to end this."
He turned his back and approached the massive pillar behind him. More precisely, toward the blue mass of mana at the base of that pillar.
Click.
Evan walked unhesitatingly into the mana mass and pulled something from its center. When he returned before Luciella, a single ring glowing blue rested in his hand.
"Lady Luciella. Please, take this."
"This is...?"
"It is the essence of all the technology gathered in the Tower of Evolution until now."
The moment the ring passed from Evan's hand into Luciella's—
"Huh?"
—the blue-glowing ring dissolved into light and seeped into the coffin she was holding.
"With this, my mission is complete."
As Luciella, who had been staring blankly at the sight, turned her head toward the voice—
"...Evan?"
"Do not worry. This is a side effect of forcibly extending time that should have originally ended, using the surrounding mana."
Cracks were gradually spreading across Evan's body.
"The exit is that way, so rest assured—"
"Wait a moment."
"The mutant sandworms outside do not often come near the exit, so—"
"No, that is not what I—"
Toward Evan, who was slowly crumbling into dust, Luciella urgently pointed at the coffin in her hands and asked.
"This — how do I use it?"
At that question, Evan's voice, mid-explanation of the exit route, cut off abruptly. A moment of silence settled over the surroundings.
"...Pardon?"
When Evan's voice — filled with bewilderment, as though he could not comprehend the situation — finally broke the silence, the time allotted to him had already run out.
"So, how do I use this... Ah."
In the end, even the last remaining helmet crumbled to powder and vanished.
"Uh... um..."
As a mere animated suit of armor, Evan could not have possessed an expression. But Luciella, who had clearly felt an indescribable level of sheer absurdity on his face in that final moment, could only break out in a cold sweat as she stared at the empty spot where he had disappeared.
After the white-armored guy called Evan or whatever turned to dust and vanished, Huey and I approached Lucy, watching even the mana that had been flowing along the walls — as though it too were dying — cut off completely.
"Kh... khhk."
"Pff."
Having heard about everything that had just transpired between Lucy and Evan, we were stifling our laughter with little snorts, unable to burst out properly.
"He handed over everything and then the instructions... khp."
"...Shut up. Master."
In the end, our laughter only stopped when an enraged Lucy hoisted the coffin over her head.
"So that way is the exit?"
"Apparently so."
Looking at Huey conversing with Lucy — one eye socket already turning a lovely shade of purple — I was vowing never to end up like that when—
Rumble.
From overhead, an ominous sound began to reach us.
"I'm not the only one who heard that, right?"
I spoke, hoping this sound was not what I thought it was, but—
"...I think we need to run."
"I was just thinking the same thing."
Looking at Huey and Lucy gulping and staring upward alongside me, it seemed a leisurely exit was thoroughly out of the question.
Thud. Thud-thud.
"Damn it, run!"
Shouting at the tower fragments raining down from overhead, we sprinted toward the exit visible in the distance—
KRA-BOOOOM—!!
—and stuck out our tongues as we watched the tower interior collapse with a deafening roar the instant we cleared it.
"Tsk. Would it have killed them to let us leave nicely?"
"The sun's already setting."
"Seems we were in there quite a bit longer than we thought."
Even though we had not spent a full day inside the tower, looking at the sky gradually turning red filled me with a surprising sense of welcome.
"...I want to get to a bed and lie down already."
Even for me, dodging dozens of projectiles flying at once for hours on end while running was a bit much. My wings still ached a little, too.
"Ugh..."
"Ren. Are you really tired?"
"Don't even start. All this trouble because of that damn tin can."
"Well, what's the point of taking it out on someone who's already dead?"
"Ugh."
I groaned for a moment at Lucy taking her fellow race's side, of all things.
"Argh... damn it!"
"What's wrong?"
"Is there a problem?"
A sensation like every hair on my body standing on end. My instincts began sounding the alarm.
"Just run!"
Different from yesterday. An enemy whose target was certain.
KRAAAAAASH—!
At the roar coming from across the way, I briefly deliberated as I watched the two start running with serious faces, as if they had finally figured out the situation.
THOOM—!
Judging by the gradually approaching tremors of the earth and the sound, the chance of escaping that mutant sandworm by simply running... was zero.
The chance of engaging... if Huey could use the technique he had employed against the gargoyles multiple times, or over a wide area, it might be possible. But there was no way for just Lucy and me to hold that thing off until Huey finished preparing the technique.
KRA-BOOM—!
"Ren! What are you doing back there!"
"Please hurry!"
Then the remaining options were...
"Don't worry about me — just keep running!"
Either abandon the two and flee alone, or all three of us die.
Flap!
I did not even need a moment to make the decision. Beating my still-aching wings to summon the wind, I launched my body toward the sky gradually darkening to black.
"Grit."
Having flown up into the sky and clenched my teeth tight—
KRRAAAAAASH—!!
—I looked at the massive mutant sandworm bursting through the exit we had just come through, flipped my body, and drove my claws into a large rock jutting out between the canyon walls.
Then, concentrating every scrap of mana in my body into both legs to reinforce them—
"Hoo..."
—I took one last deep breath and kicked off the ground with everything I had.
KRAAANG!
Run away alone like this? All three of us die? Don't make me laugh.
"HRAAAAAH—!!"
The only attack method available to me, who could not grip a sword: a flying kick using leg strength stronger than before my body had changed. Killing that thing with this attack was absolutely impossible — but at least turning its attention toward me should be doable.
Feeling the distance to the creature close in an instant, I extended my leg with my claws sharpened to the utmost—
CRUNCH—!
KREEEEEEEK—!
Immediately after, the sensation of sharp claws tearing through tough hide, green blood spraying across my face with a splash — and the sandworm, large enough to fill the canyon, began thrashing while screeching a grotesque cry.
If the creature decided to chase me down to kill me, that would count as success... but.
"Kh!"
Unfortunately, it seemed the creature had decided to focus on the prey ahead rather than on me perched atop its body.
"Damn it."
Pulling my foot free from where it was deeply embedded in the sandworm's body and taking flight again, a flash of pure white light in the distance caught my eye.
"That's...!"
If my guess was right, that was clearly the only light of hope for escaping this situation. But it was still too far.
"Huey—!! Lucy—!! That way—!! Run toward where you can see the light—!!"
Hoping first that Huey and Lucy would notice the light, I shouted, then flapped my wings once more to move my body floating in the sky.
Flap!
Moving the wind wrapping around me once more as I headed for the sandworm's head, I thought about what I could do right now.
Remember this well. This is how you do it.
On the day I became able to fly, the Voice had said. Since it was the first time, it would help me specially.
Recalling that day's memory, I decided once more — to fit another of the misaligned gears deep within my soul into place.
Click.