Chapter 194 War of the Madmen VI (2/2)
”And I'm fairly certain I'm gonna make it one.”
”... do as you see fit,” Thunder said, getting up slowly. ”It's your mission.”
”... hey.” Lino suddenly called out to her as she began walking away, causing her to halt her footsteps and turn around. ”What's the cost of that mask?” Lino asked.
”... what's the cost of yours?” she asked back.
”You're free to take it off any time you want.” Lino grinned.
”I appreciate the sentiment,” she smiled back. ”But mine's not worth the price, I assure you.”
”... that's not for you to decide, now is it?”
”My mask, my rules.”
”... not even gonna give me a chance, huh?” Lino smiled awkwardly.
”A chance is not given, Seventy-Two,” she said, turning around and beginning to walk away again. ”It's always earned.”
”... eh, I suppose that's not a definite 'no'.” Lino mumbled as he watched her silhouette fade out in the distance. ”Now... to settle my accounts with the other guest. Where is he?”
”In your bed.”
”... well, I'm changing the room the moment he leaves.”
Lino quickly vanished, as though never there, running off back to the inn. Meanwhile, Thunder was currently floating in the sky, staring at the dashing figure in the distance which, even to her, was all but a blur. She stared at him till he vanished beyond the plains and her sight, releasing a faint sigh.
”... he's a lot like you, you know?” a robotic voice echoed out inside her mind suddenly, startling her.
”Where were you the whole time?” she asked angrily. ”Twice now you vanished when I met him. I already told you I can't see through the mask... yet you still refused to help.”
”I thought I'd try and see you in your natural element. You're quite a charmer, aren't you?”
”... screw you.”
”Now that's just rude. Where is that eloquently-spoken girl with all her unearthly charms? I quite liked her.”
”... it's something about him,” she sighed, glancing once again toward the distance. ”That makes me want to impress him.”
”Oh, wow. I can't believe you actually realized it on your own. I'm impressed.”
”Seriously, go fuck yourself. Can't you just be supportive this once?”
”I believe I've been nothing short of extremely supportive toward you since the day you and I joined together.”
”Wow, someone's lying through their teeth like a maniac. What about that time when I went to look for Lino and you refused to help me?”
”Why would I help you look for a guy who would take you away? I just want you all to myself.”
”... there is something definitely wrong with you.”
”You're realizing that just now?” the voice even seemed to chuckle -- albeit extremely eerily -- for a moment.
”... so, can you at least tell me why you refused my plea twice now?”
”I suppose I can.”
”Oh, great! Finally doing the right thing!”
”But... are you sure you want to know?” the voice questioned mysteriously.
”What do you mean?” she asked tentatively.
”Knowing why might change your life in ways you can't even begin to imagine, you know? This sort of knowledge is even more dangerous than our childish attempts at feeble defiance against that whore.”
”Well, let's see,” she mumbled. ”If Gaia finds out that I'd like nothing more than to shove a spear so far up her ass she would be vomiting metal for what little days she would have left... I'd be erased from existence. So, I can confidently say that knowing the identity of some random guy is definitely less terrifying than that.”
”... oh, wow. I think I'm going to enjoy this even more now. It's seriously going to be priceless.”
”...”
”I was trying to hide, to be honest.” the voice said.
”Eh? Hide? From him?”
”Though... I imagine my attempts were quite futile. Seeing as both you and I are still unharmed, however, it seems he hasn't told the boy.”
”... what do you mean?” she seemed to have picked up on something, yet dared not go any further with her assumptions.
”I said it before -- he's a lot like you... in more ways than one.”
”... n-no way...” she mumbled.
”You've just flirted with the honored Empyrean, Hannah,” the voice said with a faint chuckle. ”And I've just learned that Ataxia really hasn't changed since the last time we talked.”
”... n-no... that's... that's fucking impossible...”
”Ah, denial. You make even that adorable. An Empyrean and an Elysian having a meet-cute by the lake... oh the horrors... cute horrors that is...”
”H-he... he's the Empyrean? NO FUCKING WAY!!”