Chapter 262: Crossroads (3)
If something of unknown identity appeared before your eyes, you first had to be on guard.
That was a mercenary’s iron rule.
Artemia supported Lancia, who was slung over her back, with one hand while quietly gripping the dagger hidden inside her clothes with the other.
Then she stepped forward, as if shielding Velita.
“Behind me…….”
Cutting smoke with a blade would normally be as foolish as it sounded, but what stood before them now clearly wasn’t ordinary smoke.
If I infused mana into the blade and slashed through it, there would surely be some reaction.
“…….”
Velita, too, stared at the smoke with eyes full of vigilance.
Rather than simple smoke, its color was thick, sticky, and viscous, like the dense fumes rising from a raging fire.
Whatever it was, it certainly wasn’t something friendly to them right now.
Squirm.
The constantly writhing movement of the smoke almost seemed as though it was making such a sound.
At first it had been faint, but it was gradually growing darker and thicker.
Above all, even under the faint light of the underground space, it radiated an oddly strong presence.
What is that?
Even she couldn’t guess its identity at all.
Along with faint caution, she felt a clear sense of unpleasantness toward it.
“…….”
At that moment—
Lancia, who had been carried on Artemia’s back, quietly opened her eyes.
With a hazy gaze, she looked around as if she didn’t even understand why she was being carried on Artemia’s back.
‘I…….’
Lancia blankly began to recall her memories.
She had fought a decisive battle with the Man without a Head, and at some point, like a thread suddenly snapping, she had lost consciousness.
Her body and mind had already been pushed to their limits, and the prolonged battle and overexertion had been too much for them to endure.
Remembering that fact, Lancia cursed her own immaturity while trying to quickly grasp the situation.
And then—
“…Huh?”
Her eyes met the smoke.
Whether “meeting the eyes of smoke” was the right expression or not, she had clearly looked straight at it.
Then Lancia’s eyes—
The eyes that bore a Brand at the same location as Archbishop Rahma—
began to faintly glow.
‘That’s…….’
They immediately pierced through what lay beyond the smoke.
Lancia could also vaguely discern its outline.
‘A woman?’
It was faint, but beyond the smoke there was clearly the form of a woman.
However, that wasn’t the only thing the smoke was concealing.
And just as the Brand engraved in her eyes was about to demonstrate its ability once more to its new master—
Step. Step.
Another presence was felt approaching from the opposite direction.
The owner of this presence was deliberately making their footsteps heard.
“Ah.”
“…It’s gone.”
“…….”
For the brief moment that the three of them were distracted by the presence coming from the other side, the smoke vanished without a trace.
It had disappeared literally like smoke.
“So you were here.”
Soon after, under the faint light, Lian revealed himself.
Looking at the three gathered together, he let out a relieved sigh.
“Lord Gwendil.”
Artemia recognized him first and slightly bowed her head.
Lian walked toward them at a somewhat quick pace.
“I’m glad the three of you are safe.”
“Yes, thanks to your concern……”
“Did you defeat him?”
At Velita’s question, he shook his head slightly.
“No. Unfortunately, I lost him.”
“You lost him?”
“Yes. Chasing him recklessly was fine at first… but just as he opened the door of the Auction House and stepped inside, the next moment I found myself standing in a completely different place.”
Lian began making up a story, just as he had discussed earlier with Berenistella.
“Fortunately, it was practically right next to here. So I was able to return to the original place right away.”
“I see……”
“Yes. I also tried opening the door of the Auction House, but for some reason it wouldn’t budge. It seems a powerful Ritual Sorcery has been placed on it.”
“That sounds right.”
Artemia nodded in agreement.
“There’s a powerful Barrier spread across it. Ordinary mages wouldn’t even be able to interfere with it.”
“Yes. To be honest, although I said I tried to open it… embarrassingly enough, I couldn’t even properly make contact with it.”
Lian nodded and continued.
“Just in case, I even tried using the Miracle of Purification, but it only ended up wasting the little Divine Power I had.”
“…….”
“And also……”
Velita stared at Lian as if she were listening attentively, without any change in her expression.
However, Lian knew well that this was her habit whenever she doubted or suspected someone.
So he immediately spoke the excuse he had prepared in advance, following Berenistella’s advice.
“I looked around the area, but I couldn’t find another entrance that might lead inside. Since it didn’t seem right to waste time there indefinitely, I was on my way back to the three of you.”
“I see.”
Velita nodded.
“…Did you happen to find any other survivors? Besides us, there should have been customers and staff members here.”
“Unfortunately, I didn’t find a single one.”
Lian shook his head.
His face darkened slightly, and this wasn’t an act or an excuse—it was genuine.
“I suspect everyone may have already been killed when this began. Or perhaps they’re buried under the debris…….”
“Ah…….”
“Judging by it, it seems the three of you haven’t seen anyone else either… Sadly, it might be more believable that none of the others are still alive besides us.”
Lian muttered in a subdued voice.
Then he suddenly noticed how exhausted Artemia looked.
Come to think of it, just like Lancia, she hadn’t properly eaten, drunk, or rested for days.
“Miss Artemia, I’ll carry her instead.”
“No, Lord Gwendil. I’ll—”
“Miss Artemia, you’re in a condition where collapsing wouldn’t be surprising either. If you keep pushing yourself and end up collapsing as well, that would only make things worse.”
“…Even so.”
Artemia shook her head.
“You must have been injured while fighting that man as well, Lord Lian…….”
“…Right arm.”
At that moment, a faint voice came from Lancia, who was slung over Artemia’s back.
“Junior… earlier, while fighting him… your right arm. It was completely battered……”
At her words, everyone’s gaze immediately focused on Lian’s right arm.
However, contrary to Lancia’s statement, his arm looked perfectly fine.
“Ah, this……”
My right arm.
Feeling everyone’s eyes on him, Lian calmly nodded.
Though inwardly, he clicked his tongue.
‘…Master.’
The woman he remembered would have surely left his arm as it was.
She would have insisted that healing it would only make others suspicious.
But…
Considering the words she had spoken and the expression she had shown before they parted, it seemed she carried deep guilt and regret regarding Lian’s death.
That was probably why she had even learned healing magic—something she used to ridicule and dismiss as pointless human magic in his previous life—just to heal his injuries.
‘…….’
Seeing how much his Mentor had changed, Lian felt an emotion he couldn’t quite put into words.
“…While searching through the debris earlier, just in case, I found some belongings that must have belonged to someone else. There was a potion, so I drank some and applied the rest to the wound.”
Thinking of an excuse on the spot, Lian subtly lifted the sword that had transformed in appearance—the Sword of Airos.
“I also picked up this sword at that time.”
Then, looking somewhat embarrassed and apologetic, he murmured,
“…I knew all three of you were in poor condition, but the potion bottle I found was half broken, so there was only enough left to treat my arm. I’m ashamed.”
“Please don’t say that, Lord Gwendil.”
Artemia replied.
“The rule is that the most urgent person, or the one who can make use of it, uses it first. Fortunately, none of us has suffered deep or fatal external injuries, so it was the correct decision for you to use it.”
“…Miss Artemia is right.”
Velita nodded slightly.
At the corner of her lips was the same gentle but faint smile as always.
It was a smile that seemed conscious of her exhaustion and injuries.
“All of us are merely exhausted and drained. None of us have suffered external or internal injuries.”
“I’m grateful that you say so.”
Lian bowed deeply toward the three of them.
Just as he thought he had managed to get through it, Velita’s voice fell over his head.
“Then what should we do now?”
“I believe we should go outside and request help.”
Lian answered without hesitation.
“There’s nothing we can do here right now.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Unfortunately.”
Lian nodded.
“The Barrier is too strong for us to tamper with, and that man has disappeared. We could search the surroundings for possible survivors, but……”
He sighed softly and shook his head.
“I believe the chances are extremely low. More importantly, our condition isn’t good enough to rescue anyone right now.”
More than anything—
After a brief pause, Lian continued.
“The Capital is likely in chaos as well. So I think the priority should be contacting our superiors as soon as possible and preventing the Capital’s turmoil from causing even greater casualties.”
“…….”
At Lian’s words, Velita fell silent.
Then suddenly she let out a small laugh.
“This reminds me of what happened back then.”
“Pardon?”
“You give advice, and I make the decision.”
She was referring to the time during the Dungeon Field Class.
Velita nodded with a smile.
“Alright. This time as well, I will follow Lord Gwendil’s advice.”
Looking around at the group, she said,
“It may be troublesome, but let’s retrace our path and head back up. We’ll calm the chaos in the Capital first… and then come back down again.”
At her words, Lian and Artemia nodded in agreement.
Lancia, meanwhile, had once again buried her head against Artemia’s back as if she had lost consciousness.
“Miss Artemia.”
“…Excuse me.”
When Lian turned around and exposed his back as if urging her, Artemia finally placed Lancia onto his back.
“Shall we go then?”
“I’ll take the lead.”
And so the four of them began walking back the way they had come.
“…….”
Then—
The eyes of Lancia, who had been carried on Lian’s back and appeared unconscious, quietly opened.
Without saying a word, she stared at Lian’s right arm.
‘…A potion, huh.’
Her eyes narrowed.
The eyes bearing the Brand could see through everything.
Whether Lian’s right arm had been healed by a potion or by magic.
And even whether the one who had cast that magic was human…
or a Demon.
Then she bit her lip so hard that it almost made a sound.