Save Me
“Heeey!!!” At the voice that seemed ready to shake the colosseum apart, I turned my head while still lying on the ground. Leading the way were Verdolf, carrying the mage on his back, and Gregory, followed by the handful of adventurers who had survived to the end. They were all dragging their battered bodies, staggering toward us from the distant rear.
“Nngh.” I pushed myself up and shook my head. Aftereffects of the battle? Or maybe the adrenaline had finally worn off? Either way, it wasn’t so much physical exhaustion as a bone-deep mental fatigue that left my body feeling like a waterlogged sponge.
‘Does it always have to be like this, no matter where I go—labyrinth or city?’
It had started as a simple outing for just the two of us to watch a circus and make happy memories for Lumia, but it had turned into a life-or-death struggle tangled up with an apostle of an evil god. I distinctly remembered deciding, after our last escape from the labyrinth, that we would take a proper rest for a few days. How had things ended up like this?
While I was sighing heavily, Shurika, still cradled in my arms, looked up at me.
“I-Is something wrong? Is it because of me?”
Waves rippled across her trembling eyes. We weren’t exactly close, and we had only been involved for less than a day, but my first impression of her had been someone bold and brimming with confidence. Perhaps because her body had once been taken over by the evil god, something seemed off in her mind.
“No. It’s nothing like that, so you should probably get off me now. People are coming.”
“Ah, aah… Yes. I’m sorry. I must have been a nuisance, right?”
I peeled her away as she bowed her head deeply and stood up.
“Ugh.”
Thud. My body refused to cooperate. Shurika, who had tried to stand with me, let out a pained groan and collapsed again.
“Grab on.”
“Th-Thank you.”
Thump.
“…Hic. Sob. My legs won’t listen to me. What do I do?”
Why was she asking me? Good grief.
“Don’t cry. Relax your body and lean on me.”
I draped her arm over my shoulder and let her rest against me. Then, though it felt cruel, I decided it was better to deliver the necessary words quickly so we could start planning.
“This might sound like a bolt from the blue, but forget about what happens next. Right now, you need to worry about whether you can even stay alive.”
“Huh? …Ah.”
Her face showed she had been too dazed to consider the obvious. Only now realizing the reality of her situation, dark clouds gathered over her expression.
“I-I really don’t want to die! Even if I didn’t commit the massacre of my own will, the sin is still heavy enough that I should die to atone. But still, still… I want to live… Please.”
Watching Shurika sob pitifully, insisting she couldn’t die here because there was something she absolutely had to do later, I spoke.
“I know full well that you’re a victim too. Hearing you scream at me to run away while crying the whole time, I don’t want to just leave you to die either. By any chance, do you have some money saved up?”
“Yes! I’ve been diving into the labyrinth for years, so I have quite a bit! Ah, and items too!”
“Good. Then, while I talk with the adventurers, let’s get our stories straight first. You need to keep your wits about you.”
“G-Get our stories straight?! …Ah. You mean match our words—”
Before Shurika could finish, Verdolf, now close enough, bared his teeth and radiated a chilling aura.
“Fuck. Look at that crazy bitch shamelessly clinging to life. Hey, swordsman. Why the hell didn’t you just kill her? How the fuck did she even get back to normal in the first place?”
“I-I’m sorry.”
I stopped Shurika from speaking. The last thing we needed was for her to fan the flames when she should be staying quiet.
“Hold on. Let’s calm down and talk this through slowly.”
“You goddamn—! Hoo. Including the spirits, that bitch killed over thirty adventurers, easy. You planning to just brush off our comrades’ sacrifices?”
I was about to carefully explain that she was also a victim and offer compensation to the families of the fallen when—
Thud.
Gregory, the holy knight who had been listening silently, stomped his foot to draw everyone’s attention.
“I’ll ask just one thing. Are you the one who saved her from the evil god’s grasp? Can you be certain Tehelum has been completely severed?”
When he pointed at me with a grave expression, I answered without hesitation that it was true. Fortunately, because I had provided various information during the Irmela incident as well, he seemed to believe me.
“To still be alive after suffering the pain of being dominated by an evil god… I won’t ask what method you used. This is a miracle granted by the gods, and as a holy knight of the Church of Light, I cannot stand by and watch her die.”
“Suddenly talking about miracles—what does your being a holy knight of the Church have to do with anything right now?”
Ignoring Verdolf’s irritation, Gregory raised his voice.
“The God of Light, standing in opposition to the evil gods, bestows radiance upon holy knights who wield sword and shield.”
His sword glowed pure white.
“Protect the weak, do not turn a blind eye to injustice, and eradicate and purify all things related to evil gods with all your strength—that is the command.”
“…”
“Furthermore, my words just now also include helping those who have suffered at the hands of evil gods. I understand your feelings, but it would be best to abandon any thought of killing her right away.”
“This bastard… You think everyone will just accept your sophistry because you drag the gods into it?”
“It is not sophistry!”
I raised my voice.
“She spent the entire battle apologizing and repeatedly begging to be killed because her body wouldn’t obey her. The fact that there was not a shred of intent behind the massacre Shurika committed while being controlled can be clearly seen from how she warned everyone to dodge with every attack.”
Nods of agreement.
“It’s unfortunate about those who died, but… you have a point. Not that it would ever happen, but if I had been the one the evil god took an interest in instead… Just imagining it is horrifying.”
Gregory nodded, and the female rogue wielding twin daggers quietly voiced her agreement.
“I believe no one here would claim that giving the evil god an opening to dominate you was also a sin. When a transcendent being decides to ruin a single person, who among us could have resisted?”
“Nngh…”
“To everyone who participated in the battle: we will separately provide consolation money to the families of those who perished, and we will also cover all of your medical expenses. Let’s leave it at that.”
At my signal, the quick-witted Shurika immediately added her own apologies to my words. Except for the displeased Verdolf and one frontliner with severe burns, the rest seemed to accept it.
Just as things were wrapping up—
“I also vote to save her.”
“Guildmaster!!!”
The middle-aged instructor who had stepped forward to protect his family called out with a delighted expression. Sena scratched her cheek awkwardly.
“Sorry, everyone. I said I’d wrap things up quickly and come back, but the opponent was an apostle, after all. She had more tricks up her sleeve than expected, so it took longer than I thought.”
Opponent ‘too’? Don’t tell me…
“You said ‘too.’ What do you mean by that?”
One of the archers who had been keeping a low profile asked, and the instructor answered in Sena’s stead with exaggerated excitement.
“Oh come on! You don’t know Sena, the Sword Guild’s guildmaster and a deep-floor adventurer, the Apostle of the God of Martial Arts? Kid, you still haven’t shaken off that newbie vibe from Labyrinth City!”
The moment he finished speaking, lightning struck in my mind and pieces of information began connecting.
—No, usually someone with my status and ability would have at least one disciple or something. Among my acquaintances, there’s even one who quit adventuring altogether and is respected in the Sword Guild. That was what Ivelin had grumbled when we first formed our master-disciple relationship.
—After the first day of training, I looked into your personal details. To think you were the disciple of the Blood Princess. I heard she once formed a party with an apostle and took down Aldebaran on the 15th floor. That was what Berkel had said in admiration while explaining floor guardians before my spar with Isaac.
‘So it connects like this?’
In other words, not only was she a former apostle and a rare one at that, but she was also an acquaintance of my master? They had even formed a party together?
My head was spinning. This was getting complicated.
‘No, wait. This might actually be a good thing?’
The situation where Chaos Eye had been blocked and drawn attention because of her trait. Since she wanted a private meeting, and I had no idea how she might interrogate me, having her be an acquaintance of my master wasn’t so bad after all.
Whoosh.
“Haha! What the hell are you doing, acting all embarrassed? Anyway, we’re saving the spirit mage. Since everything’s over, shall we all head to the Holy District for treatment? I heard someone’s covering the medical fees too?”
Sena approached me in an instant and continued while pointing at Shurika.
“It’ll take too long to get to the 3rd District by carriage, so I’ll pay for the warp gate. Let’s go!”
“Sounds good!”
“Um, that’s all well and good, but where are the civilians and lower-floor adventurers who dropped out of the battle a while ago? Did they manage to escape safely while we were fighting?”
Oh no!
‘You idiot. No matter how intense the battle was, how could I forget to check where Lumia went or whether she was hurt?’
“Ah, don’t worry about that. While I was fighting the apostle, I kept glancing over and extending my senses…”
According to Sena, taking advantage of the gaps when individual battles grew fierce, the lower-floor adventurers had carefully evacuated the civilians first so as not to draw the attention of Irmela or Shurika.
“Thanks to the people who got out, the guards and someone capable of covering up the incident should be arriving in the area soon. Are they not here yet?”
After reassuring everyone not to worry, she added in a low voice using mana that only I could hear.
“You go get treated first, then let’s have a proper talk. I have something I want to recommend, so I won’t take no for an answer.”
A recommendation?
Just then—
Clank. Clank.
While everyone was beginning to move to leave the colosseum under Sena’s lead without objection, the sound of armored footsteps echoed from outside. But that wasn’t the important part.
“No. My disciple is coming with me, and he’ll receive treatment directly from the high-ranking priest stationed at the knights’ order. Why don’t you take the rest and go?”
“Huh?”
Whoosh!!!
In an instant, their auras clashed. Sena, who had pushed her sunglasses up, smiled brightly as if she had seen something unexpected.
“Ooh! It’s Ivelin? Why are you here when you should be in the 3rd District? Well, I’m happy to see an old friend after so long, so that’s nice.”
After saying that with a grin, her mouth stiffened as if she had belatedly heard something strange.
“Wait, more importantly… disciple?”
Crackle. Crackle!
Amber eyes sparkling with interest and blood-red eyes filled with displeasure. The two intense gazes clashed in midair, sending sparks flying.
Uh oh…
She said they were friends? They’re close, right?