Chapter 169 - Volume 8, Chapter 27 (1/2)

Volume 8, Chapter 27: It seems Like I’ve Become a Legend Again, Part 3

“Strange……”

Sefira returned alone to the enormous underground cavern that housed the forces of darkness and approached the ancient castle that had been left behind by the first hero.

She couldn’t sense the presence of any of the heroes.

Sefira had spent a long time in vain to gain trust from the paranoid Kyoji, all in order to lead him to this place.

She had wanted to personally lead him there if she could, but Kyoji had never lost sight of his purpose. It might have helped to speed up her plans too.

She had also noticed that the heroes of flame and earth were also headed this way. In fact, it could be said to be the first time in history that the [Heroes] were so hostile towards one another. If they were closer, then Kyoji would have hurried in vain, and they would have gotten to where they wanted before the others got in the way.

But now…… the presence of the heroes had all vanished from Sefira’s senses.

“Did they die……? No, none of this trash are capable of killing the heroes around here……”

If Kyoji, Kanzo and Minkichi, who were regarded by Sefira as spare [Heroes], disappeared, Sefira’s plan would be reset to square one.

And then……

“………!?”

Sefira suddenly felt an immense heaviness weigh upon her.

Her body, which shouldn’t have felt an ounce of fatigue despite having not slept for weeks and days, suddenly became heavier, and her clear thoughts dulled as if trapped within her own head.

“……wh…at?”

Sefira muttered ever softer.

She suddenly felt tired, and felt as if her [Camouflage Skill] had become less precise, which was also strange. She had passive [Skills] for both fatigue and tiredness.

And as Sefira tried her hardest to find the “cause” of all this with a hazy mind, she suddenly sensed the presence of Kyoji, who had disappeared from the basement of the castle.

“……That shithead, what did he mess up!”

As she cursed him foul-mouthedly, Sefira rushed down through the old castle’s hidden door to the altar in the basement.

Journeying towards it at an astonishing speed, her face twisted as she saw its open state, running into the opened hidden passage with the stone slabs.

The stone slabs, that only reacted to heroes…… or those with “strong” light attributes, lit up as Sefira ran through, glowing letters emerging.

Bursting through the barrier that stopped anyone who wasn’t of the hero-class, she reached the back.

“What, this is……!!!”

There was the enormous stele that was a replica of the [Skill Agreement], lit up with finely-written characters in the spirit language, as before.

However, the light had faded from some of the letters, where they had been dug out, and the meaning had turned to utter nonsense.

“……a………a………”

“Kyoji!!!”

There, behind the stone, was the sorry figure of Kyoji.

What happened to him? He had been a self-confident man with the ambition to match his ability. Now, he was thin, as if all of his life force had been used to generate magic power, and couldn’t even move his lips, stretching his feeble, trembling hand out towards Sefira.

“You, what did you do!!”

“*cough*”

Sefira kicked Kyoji’s shoulder with her boot.

From how things looked, Sefira seemed to now be stuck in the [Magic Absorption Trap], but was forcibly resisting it, and the [Skill Use Agreement] seemed to be defective.

Still, considering the circumstances, even though she should have been protected several times over, she wasn’t sure how much she’d lost, and now she was unsure of what the [Skill Use Agreement] had become.

“The reason why skill control has gone wrong is all because of you.”

Sefira, who had been kicking Kyoji over and over, grabbed his hair and spit in his face, thinking about how she would have been able to prevent this, had she been here to lead him……….

“No…… it’s not over yet.”

Sefira wasn’t going to be able to fix the [Skill Use Agreement] now.

She knew what was on the contract, but not all of its details, and it would take an enormous amount of effort to both check and correct the minor details in the spirit-language characters.

A hundred years…… It might be possible in two hundred years, but Sefira, who had come so close to finally having his goal in grasp, was loath to spend more time getting there.

“……Hey, Kyoji-san.”

“………uh……”

As Sefira suddenly put on the mask of a “kind woman”, she laughed softly, not even caring that she couldn’t use her [Charm].

“I’m going to take you to a special place. It’s alright……it won’t hurt.”

“……ah……”

As Kyoji heard Sefira’s words, the light returned to his eyes just slightly, and he shook his head in fear.

“Fufufu…… let’s go. You should feel honored, you know. You’re the second person ever to see it.”

Sefira, with her delicate physique, carried Kyoji in all his armor over her shoulder, and walked out of the secret passage.

He was heavy, and not being able to use her Skills caused Sefira to grimace here and there, but suddenly, the weight became lighter, and she breathed out lightly.

“……Ahh……”

“How annoying. Have I finally gotten used to doing things without skills……?”

Sefira turned her gaze to Kyoji, who muttered as if afraid of something.

She wasn’t going very far in the first place.

It was hard to get there in places with strong magic, like that place with the stone tablets and altars, but otherwise moving there wasn’t difficult.

“By the covenant, lead me to this land.”

As Sefira intoned the [Words] in the courtyard of the old castle, an entrance of light opened in the space before her eyes.

“……ah…… ya”

“You don’t have to be scared. This is just one of the little in-between spaces between the [Material World] and the [Spirit World].”

In the [Spirit World], nothing with substance could exist.

Still, as an intermediate point between the worlds, it was entirely possible for someone to stay there, provided they had strong magic power.

“You’re really afraid. Are you even a hero? How pitiful.”

“That’s true.”

“………aAh……u……”