369 366. Encounter with a rival.txt (1/2)

The darkness of the First Magical Research Institute is cleared, and the ”Flame God's Tablets” are lit one by one.

The Master and the Director shouted at Tida's unplanned action.

''Tida......!?''

What?

In the midst of all this, I was the only one who was able to calmly grasp the situation.

Thanks to the fact that I had prepared my mind that that man could do something like this. The 'One Who Steals the Reason of the Fire' represented my feelings.

'I knew it: ......!　That traitor, at the last minute again: ......!　d*mn, the fire in my body ......!

She tried to ignite the flames with anger, but her body shook and deflated as if blown by the wind in the process.

The volume of fire that had replaced her limbs diminished. Then the flames in the lower half of her body that had been prodding her knees drowned out, and her upper body fell to the ground.

Sensing the abnormality in his own body, the 'one who steals the logic of fire' shouted.

''Run away now!　Now we're being watched!　Through my 'eyes', the Lords of Fania have assessed the situation here!　No, this fast ......, I've been watching you from the beginning ......!

While losing the fire in her body, she analyzes the situation and urges her to flee quickly.

However, Master, who was still holding the hand of The One Who Steals the Reason of Fire, immediately shouts back to get her to stand up.

'If you're going to escape, you're with me!

'You can't do that!　If I follow you now, you'll never be able to shake it off!　My lord is taking all of my power!　If I wanted to, I could ignore my will and burn you with the flames of this body!　This me is his best weapon!

Saying that, The One Who Steals Fire's Reason shook off his master's hand with the most force of the day, but his master did not back down.

''It's alright!　This lord and I will defeat him with my tiara!　Don't worry!

That man kept repeating the experiment just to fight the coming 'Apostle' eventually. ......!　I am absolutely no match for you. Please put aside the baggage that is me and just run away first, please ....... Please ......--

Wherever the flames of The One Who Stole the Truth of Fire were strangled, the voice grew thinner and smaller.

There must be a direct link between the function of the body and the flames.

Closing her eyes, she leaves the last word.

'I'm so happy, I was ....... So please go ahead. Don't worry, I'm not going to die ....... I'm used to being treated here ....... Your ”I'm here to help” - your words were really, really good ......, so get away from me... ...--

Before he could say it, 'The One Who Steals the Reason of Fire' had lost consciousness.

On the ground, where restraining bandages and chains were strewn about, one raw head was lying in a sparsely spread flame.

The Master stiffened his body before the scene. Although he received a heartfelt plea to ”run away,” the virtues and values that Master possessed would not allow him to leave the girl who was left with only this head.

Instead of my master, who can't move an inch, I listen carefully.

I had begun to hear noises coming from the other side of the door we had entered.

It was probably the soldiers on guard.

If this was the case, we would be trapped in a cul-de-sac.

I wonder if Master had noticed this, and he couldn't bear the badness of this situation, so he stared at the nearby darkness and called out.

''Kuu--!　Tida!

It's useless to call out to him - I thought - but somehow, out of the darkness of the law, the answer came back to me.

'...... I'm sorry for tricking you, Kanami.'

Frankly, I was surprised.

Lurking, Tida explained the situation, as if she couldn't be ruthless enough.

''Originally, the lord of Fania used 'The One Who Steals the Truth of Fire' as a decoy to wait for my arrival. The reason is simple: to obtain the source of the second miracle, the One Who Steals the Reason of Darkness (me).

I understand that.

But I don't know why Tida betrayed us at this time.

The plan was working. If you wanted to save the One Who Stole the Theory of Fire, you should have stayed the course. If you wanted to use it as bait, you were more effective on the run. If your goal is to sell us out, then the place and timing of your betrayal is wrong.

I don't see Tida's real purpose at all.

It seems that his master had that question as well, and he asked the darkness head on.

''Tida, why are you doing this ......?''

No, I thought that there was no way I would get an answer even if I asked - but my expectations were once again betrayed and a serious reply echoed from the darkness.

'Kanami, I've just been shown your choice ....... But not yet. It's not enough to trust you yet. I have not yet seen everything that is deep inside of you. So, now I'm going to test you. To see if you can really carry out the same situation I once found myself in, and not just talk about it. Can you still speak the same words when you know the source of this city: ......--

Tida trails off in the middle of her argument.

For some reason, despite being in such an overwhelmingly dominant position, her voice changes to a weak voice that looks like she's about to cry now.

'No (...). I guess I'm just scared after all. ......

The way he changed and the way he said it, my confusion reached its maximum.

Right now, this guy is definitely in the middle of speaking, troubled on his own, and his mind has broken on its own.

He's too unstable to follow those thoughts. Over here, it's hard to just have one master alone. ...... This is like being told to read two books in different languages at the same time.

The 'Stealers of Reason', including the raw headed girl there, are too weak-minded and too fragile. I finally realized here that my skill at reading other people's minds is ruthlessly incompatible with my skill.

Hey, Kanami. Please. Not only that girl, please save me too ....... I can't trust my life anymore ....... I can only think that someone will betray me again, just a few more times anyway. ...... I'm scared and I can't stand it. The only way to avoid being betrayed is to betray me first ....... Those thoughts have seeped into my head and won't go away......!　Ever since the day he died five years ago: ......!

Tida boldly begged him to save them both at the same time, without shame or outward appearance.

It was a weak voice, unthinkable from the threat he had felt to him just before.

At the end of it, he blurted out.

'Kanami, show me your answer.

In other words, there was no particular reason for our betrayal. We were left behind in the farthest reaches of enemy territory for the vague reason that we were worried that we wouldn't betray them before they betrayed us.

If it were a book, my face would be twisted by the inexcusable pages (pages) with no preamble or foreshadowing.

But unlike me, my master's face was calm. He seemed to have something that only the same weakling could understand, and he called out his name with a look of empathy.

'Tida .......'

There was no sign of impeachment.

He was almost tolerating the betrayal.

The worst part of the master's bad behavior - too much sycophancy - has been exposed to the worst ever.

The situation is also the worst ever.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I had planned to use Tida as a decoy to stun my master and run straight back to Hoozeyer's if the need arose. But, on the contrary, we were the ones who were used as bait, and the other party--.

A bang and a wild sound rang out.

The only doorway in the basement was thrown open.

A huge man appeared at the door with a group of sluggish Fania soldiers in tow.

He has a monstrous old scar etched all over his face, and his eyes are thin like lines. His head was neatly rolled back and he had the purity of a clergyman. However, the man's clothing denies him the job. He wore a number of extravagant necklaces, bracelets, and rings over his upper-class nobleman's clothes, and walked around with the sound of ore touching each other.

Everything about his gestures conveyed a great confidence in the man.

So I could see that before he could open his mouth, the lord of Fania had shown himself.

'I'm here to receive you, Princess of Fuzzyards and Acting 'Apostle'. I am Romis, head of the House of Neysha, which rules over Fania. This Romis Neysha is to be known henceforth.

Lord Romis smiled, and we, the emissaries of the Hoozeyards, welcomed him with open arms.

In front of him, my master and I gasped.

It was because the 'Demon Poison' that was too thick was swirling around Romis.

It was a bizarre scene. Lomis himself had no special power. And yet, that ”demonic poison” was completely under his control.

It didn't harm Lomis in the slightest, but only wavered in time with his movements.

The intensity and quantity of the 'Demon Poison' lightly surpassed that of the master who had gone berserk in the evening.

Anyone would be in awe of Romis. If he proclaimed himself to be a prophet of God, the public would be persuaded enough to nod their heads and say, ”That's right.

We are wary of the 'demonic poison' that Romis wears and cannot move an inch.

In the meantime, two of the soldiers he brought with him moved and withdrew their hands from the Director's hand, who was trembling close by. Neither we nor the Director had any choice but to accept them without resistance as they were led away to a corner of the room.

After watching the move, Romis began to speak.

''Kukku. Well, I was twisting my head all the way through the preparation of the banquet, wondering how I was going to guide you two to this place, but it saved me ...... a lot of trouble. Haha, hahaha. I can't stop laughing at you for being such a thoughtless guest. Please forgive me.

That's a rather rude thing to say.

As I knew, the lords here were our enemies.

I would keep an open mind and respond with a smile. It's one of Yotaki sister's teachings to keep smiling when things are really bad.

''Hmph. Good evening, head of the Neisha family. If you know about 'The Apostle', you're talking fast. In order to dispel the dark clouds of this world, I need her help there - the one who steals the reason for fire. Can I take her to Fuzzyards Castle?

I pointed to the girl who was being beheaded alive just a few feet away, and told her proudly of our request.

'Do you want me to take her?　I refuse to do so. No matter how much of a homeland Hoozeyer's may be, we don't want anything from our Fania territory to be taken out without permission.

Hmm. Then can't we at least stop treating him like an object?

I'd appreciate it if you nodded, even if it was a lie.

Otherwise, the angry master next to me is in trouble.

I can see that he's becoming belligerent after the persuasion of 'The One Who Steals the Reason of Fire' earlier, and I can see that he's becoming belligerent.

However, I am eager to avoid a fight. The basement we are in right now is the enemy's territory (home), and we entered it without expecting a battle.

The other side must have understood exactly what the advantage is. I answered very forcefully.

''Yes. I understand what you want to say, Princess. However, please do not misunderstand me. This kind of outrageous imitation, I don't want to do it either. As a lord, I simply chose the peace of mind of my fellow lords over her alone after making a painful decision. That's why I need to treat things coldly. I have a duty to make the most of the benefits of her precious sacrifice so that it will not be in vain. ...... please, can you understand?

No doubt, it's a lie.

So I decided.

However, the master believed those papier-mâché words and offered a compromise.

''My lord!　Please listen to me!　As an alternative to taking her out, I have a good cure for that!　With our help, you won't have to worry about curing the disease of The Devil's Poison!　This is what we call ”raising the bar”!　It's not perfect yet, but it's a much more effective treatment than phlebotomy!

''Oh, is that light called ”Level Up” ......?　Crap, crap. Oh, pardon me. That was a very curious name.

In the middle of the conversation, Romis held his mouth and laughed. He also shook his head at his master's suggestion while sighing heavily.

''【Level Up】....... That was really an afterthought.''

Yo, that's superfluous. ......?　That's the cure!　By trading ”demonic poison” for ”witchcraft” - or rather, by trading with this world, a method of converting poison into a living force - you can safely suppress the symptoms without any disadvantages!　I know it's a weird thing to say about dealing with the world, but really--

I know all about it. So I don't need any further explanation.

He was interrupted crisply.

Master was stunned, as if he hadn't expected that reply.

''Before you Fuzzy Yards, our Fania was aware of the 'World's Deal' as an example. We already know that if we use that thing well, we can cure the disease at its root.

'Did you know ......?　Then why do you have to go to ......!　Why aren't you using that in your treatment!

''Certainly, that 'leveling up' thing will be able to heal you. However, at the same time, a large number of beings with unworthy powers will be born in the territory. That's too dangerous. The only thing that Fania needs right now is not a cure for the disease, but to firmly lead her people. To do that, the method proposed by the deputy-sama is inappropriate. We can never allow a ruler to mass-produce and hold a bunch of healthy bombs for nothing.

It makes sense.

When it comes to wasted energy bombs, there is an example of me.