113. Traces
113. Traces
The path out of the underground waterway was horribly uncomfortable, chaotic, and disorienting.
Shadowless might not have felt that way, but from Stella's perspective, it couldn't be helped.
Inside the underground waterway that had been a labyrinth until just moments ago, there were a great many people whom Shadowless had protected with everything she had.
When the labyrinth vanished and the people woke from their hypnosis, they couldn't grasp the situation and didn't even know why they were there.
Naturally, tremendous confusion ensued.
People cried, shouted, screamed, and fainted again.
In that situation, Shadowless said nothing.
So Stella, who understood the situation and had heard from Shadowless who those people were, was the only one who could reassure them and lead them outside.
Fortunately, Stella was able to hide her face.
Unlike Eliarnes, the perception-inhibiting cloak she had worn before coming to the labyrinth was still clean.
And so Stella led more than several hundred people, hurrying through the underground waterway.
Shadowless helped in the process, but it wasn't much help.
Even so, she couldn't show that she was struggling.
She had heard that Shadowless had fought for over forty hours while protecting those people.
Eliarnes had fought a Wizard of the 8th Circle to protect Stella and Pina.
Pina had been made a sacrifice in a ritual that could have cost her life. She wasn't even here in the first place.
Stella, on the other hand—
she had wandered the labyrinth helping Eliarnes, then was suddenly kidnapped and heard shocking things.
Of course, she had been under immense mental strain, but she herself had done nothing to break the labyrinth.
I'm the only one whose body is fine.
Thinking that, Stella swallowed the sudden surge of emotion, worry, and turmoil, and devoted herself to the one task she had been given.
And so Stella, who took fifty minutes to exit a waterway that should have taken about fifteen, handed the victims over to the members of Nameless.
Shadowless stared at Stella for a long while, then quietly disappeared.
Left alone to wait for Eliarnes, Stella immediately sank to the ground.
Her head was a mess. Her heart was heavy, and she felt like she might burst into tears at any moment.
From the Black Wizard who had tried to kill hundreds of people, Eliarnes, and Pina—
she had heard that her mother was alive.
In the course of that conversation, she had heard that she herself was a being created for the sake of Akasha.
Of course, there was no way to know whether those words were true or false.
But they weren't words she could simply dismiss as lies and easily forget.
Her mother, who had gone missing after being pursued by the Eustetia Knight Order and the Marquis of Verheigen.
Her whereabouts.
A Black Wizard who resembled her mother to a chilling degree.
Akasha.
A created being.
The reason she had to be a Verheigen.
A Eustetia without the blood of the Hero, Arisa.
The Eustetia collateral line, who seemed to know that.
The scent of blood, and the smell of sweat-soaked skin stronger than that.
The pounding heartbeat, the voice, the cherry-blossom-colored hair and eyes.
The small, slender frame. The burning warmth.
Eliarnes.
She missed her.
At the moment that thought surfaced—
at the moment she was confused because she herself couldn't understand why she'd thought it—
"Why are you sitting there like a beggar?"
A sharp voice rang out.
"Did you piss yourself again?"
"Eek... Ah, no... I didn't... hic... Waaaaaah!"
The tears she'd been holding back burst out.
*****
After the illusion Arisa left behind ended and I returned to reality, I sat there blankly for quite a while.
Then I began gathering up everything in the tomb.
The cherry blossoms, and my gravestone too.
Maybe because the pouch really was expensive, when I slowly fed the gravestone in from the top, it slid right in.
After that, I collapsed the cavern where my grave had been. Perhaps Arisa had known I would do that, because the cavern already had half-broken pillars.
Pillars with Arisa's fist marks stamped into them.
One of them. When I toppled just that one, the cavern began to collapse. And even the massive stone door that had blocked our way vanished without a trace.
Pina, who witnessed the cavern collapsing, fainted again.
I considered leaving the unconscious Pina behind, but in the end I gathered her up and made my way out of the underground waterway.
I don't know how much time had passed.
When we entered the labyrinth, the sunset had been falling, but now that we were outside, the sky was bright.
The noisy, bustling streets of the Imperial Capital. Judging by the number of people moving about, it seemed to be broad daylight.
So less than a day had passed.
With that thought, Stella, Pina—who had regained her senses—and I walked side by side toward the academy.
The way back was very easy.
Thanks to Shadowless, who had the sense to leave behind perception-inhibiting hoods for Pina and me.
Along the way, I heard from Stella about the people who had been in the labyrinth.
People of various races, seemingly gathered from all across the country.
They didn't know why they were there, and an entire week of memories—not just the memories from before their abduction—had vanished completely, she said.
I don't know how that many people were gathered here, but that's not my concern. Nameless will handle it.
And Stella had learned Pina's secret.
Communicating with spirits and handling spirits.
Having learned that, Stella—as if she'd never cried at all—was busy bombarding Pina with questions, her eyes sparkling.
Then they hugged each other again, bawling that they were glad to have made it back alive.
That went on for a while.
"...S-so, what do we do now?"
"Hic..."
Arriving in front of the academy, we couldn't take another step.
Getting out had been simple—we just ran. But getting back in was a problem, since there was no escape route.
"E-Eliarnes. Um... like before, the acupoint? Can't you do something by striking that?"
"Earlier you threw a fit about me doing that, and now you're egging me on to do it again."
"Eek... Th-that's not it! I just... hmm... Anyway, that's not it... ugh... What do we do?"
"Hmm..."
I'm still maintaining Open Gate.
In this state, knocking out the ten guards at the main gate in an instant wouldn't be a problem.
But doing that without being seen is impossible.
Just as I was mulling over what to do—
"It seems you need my help?"
A voice tinged with laughter came from behind the bushes where we were hiding.
"Heeek! Hic! Heeeek...!"
"Hah..."
Pina fainted, and Stella's breath stopped.
Click-clack, click-clack—
I looked at the woman approaching through the bushes, making needlessly loud footsteps with her shoes.
"Shall I help you?"
Adelia Baros.
"...How long have you been watching?"
"Since you all came out of the underground waterway and bought chicken skewers. I like that shop's skewers too. The sauce has excellent depth of flavor. And the chicken doesn't have any gamey smell."
"They were pretty good."
"Hehe. Let's go eat them together next time."
"Are you buying?"
Adelia's eyes went wide.
"Oh my...? You're not... saying no? You'd really go with me?"
"If you're buying, I'll go with you at least once."
"Ahaha! You say that like you're doing me a favor."
"I am doing you a favor."
"H-hey...! Are you crazy...?! What kind of way is that to talk to your homeroom professor?!"
Stella, appalled by my answer, tugged at my clothes.
"Wonderful. As payment for helping you all, that's a splendid reward. It's been a dream of mine to grab a snack with my students sometime. I can look forward to it, right?"
On the other hand, Adelia herself seemed pleased and nodded readily.
Her tone suggested she'd roughly caught on to my intent.
"Yes. But I'll be eating something more expensive than chicken skewers. At a very expensive restaurant."
"As much as you like. I may not look it, but I'm overflowing with money, you know? I could build a magic tower."
Adelia chuckled, looking genuinely delighted, and started walking.
"Shall we go, then? Ah, but before that."
She flicked her hand once. Black Mana flowed from her fingertips and wrapped around our bodies.
"Right now you all look as grubby as abandoned puppies, so I'm going to hide you with my magic for a moment. I have no ill intent, so don't worry."
"Ah... uh... yes. Th-thank you."
"Hic..."
"Hehe. Let's go now!"
Clap—Adelia clapped her hands and took the lead.
Stella and Pina scurried along behind her.
As they walked, Stella quietly asked me,
"...Do you think she knows where we went?"
"Probably."
"And what we did there...?"
"Seems like it."
"Hah... How did she find out? Then wh-what do we do?"
"I'll handle it, so don't worry about it."
Stella chewed her lip.
"...Is there anything I can help with?"
Her eyes were full of worry.
It was incredibly cringey and... uncomfortable to look at...
What's with her?
"Forget it, and don't go pissing yourself, you brat."
"...E-ek... You... you really! Even when I worry about you, you—!! Aaaaagh! I hate you! I really hate you! You're so annoying! Don't talk to me!"
"What's she on about? She's the one who talked to me first."
"Aaaaaaaaaagh!"
*****
With Adelia's help, we were able to return to the academy without any problems.
During that time, Adelia asked nothing and did nothing.
She simply dropped us off inside the academy and left to attend to her own business.
For just a moment, the look in her eyes as she glanced at me changed, but it didn't last long.
She probably noticed the change in my condition from Open Gate.
I didn't bother thinking about how I'd explain it if she asked.
I don't have the luxury. I'm at my limit now.
I can't keep pretending to be fine, pretending to be calm, maintaining my usual state.
Returning straight to my room, I pulled out various supplies from the bag I'd packed in advance.
A sound-blocking scroll, a gag, medicinal herbs, Potions, a wide cloth, a soft towel, cleaning agents, and a deodorizer.
After hauling all of it into the bathroom, I stripped off all my clothes. I filled the tub with water and dumped in all sorts of herbs and Potions.
Then I spread the wide cloth on the floor, sat on it, and wrapped the soft towel around my entire body.
"Fuck... how long has it been since I've done this."
Letting out trembling breaths over and over, I finally downed a bottle of Potion and bit down on the gag.
I tore the sound-blocking scroll, and with my fingers—returned to normal—I felt for the acupoint inside.
The wide-open gate.
If I close this... the recoil begins.
"Hngh... hah..."
I'm quite good at enduring pain.
I'm so accustomed to pain that I can keep fighting even with twisted limbs.
But this recoil—
it's so horrific that even I shed streams of tears. If only tears came out, I'd be lucky... blood sprays from every orifice in my body, even my pores.
What happens to my body after that... I don't know. I've never seen it.
I only know that my body ends up utterly crushed.
And after the pain ends, normally Luna would finish things up. But without Luna here now, I'll have to throw myself into that tub.
"Hah..."
Samaella. That damn bitch.
Next time I see her, I'll tear her limb from limb and kill her.
Just as I was grinding the gag between my teeth and closing the gate of the acupoint, click—the door opened.
"What is she doing without even locking her door? Eliarnes! I brought your Device! I'll cancel the reservation message... Wh-what is all this...?"
Stella came in.
She looked around, turning her head.
Her eyes met mine in the bathroom.
"Huh? What's that in your mouth? And what's with the tub? What in the world are you doing?"
How did that clueless idiot get in?
Did I not lock the door? Did I leave it open?
Why now, of all times?
There was no time to resolve those questions. No time to take out the gag and tell her to leave.
The recoil began.