Chapter 329 - Ouroboros (4)

The Traitor, Ricardo Luhenpraha.

Fighting this bastard had shocked me in more ways than one. Until now, I had never realized that weapon proficiency—not “specs” like rare Essence skills, high stats, or Aura—could make such a huge difference in battle.

WHOOSH!

Even his seemingly casual sword swings concealed a purpose, naturally setting up his next move. This went beyond simply being good at fighting.

Of course, that didn't mean the situation was hopeless.

'I don't need to beat him anyway.'

As long as I could buy time, I won. So I deliberately dragged out the fight, studying his swordsmanship closely.

'I think I'm starting to see it.'

At first, I had relied on instinct and reflexes to frantically dodge or block each strike. But the longer we fought, the more I could see how he would use each move to lead into the next.

WHOOSH!

The attack at my wrist was meant to keep me in check. Retreating would be the best response, but...

'That's what he's after. It would leave my neck open.'

In a sense, it was checkmate—assuming [Silent Decree] was working as intended.

My body smoothly shrank as I deactivated [Gigantification], and his blade brushed past my wrist. But had he anticipated even this when he swung?

WHOOSH!

His blade changed course like a snake, aiming for my thigh. I swiftly sprang backward.

But he must have foreseen this moment when he swung, because he redirected the blade again without a moment's hesitation.

Toward the unconscious Amelia.

'You fucking...!'

I quickly chained [Transcendence] into [Eye of the Storm], pulling him in front of me. Amelia was safe now.

But...

WHOOOOOSH!

As though he had accounted for this possibility too, he delivered an exquisite slash while the wind dragged him toward me.

Well, I managed to get out of it somehow, but...

'Does this bastard have a supercomputer for a brain?'

The more we fought, the more I felt like he was toying with me. It was as though he could read nearly every move I would make. I was starting to understand how modern Go professionals had felt when a machine ran circles around them.

'If I could learn even a little of how he does it, it'd help me a hell of a lot.'

This wasn't the sort of martial skill I could pick up just by watching. Still, opportunities to fight a swordsman of this caliber to the death didn't come often, so I kept stalling with the intention of learning everything I could.

How much time had passed?

'The old man should be about done by now...'

Just as that thought crossed my mind, a groan escaped Amelia's lips.

"Ngh..."

She hadn't regained consciousness yet, but it was a sign that her injuries had healed past a certain point.

'Okay. Once Amelia wakes up, we can fuck him up two-on-one...'

That was probably why he had targeted Amelia whenever he got the chance, even while fighting me. As his encounter with the Knight of Light had shown, his incredible swordsmanship wasn't matched by any warrior's pride.

If the odds turned against him, this bastard ran. Without hesitation or a backward glance.

Yes, just like now.

"... I won't forget what happened today."

Had he decided that if he was going to flee anyway, now was the time, before Amelia woke up?

He sprang backward to put distance between us, delivering the classic line about settling things another day. I didn't pursue him.

I hadn't let it show, but I was almost out of MP. Using [Swing] every time I blocked his sword so he wouldn't overpower me, and spamming [Transcendence], [Leap], and [Eye of the Storm] throughout the fight, had made that inevitable.

'Well, that's things settled on this end...'

I approached Amelia. Her breathing was quite steady, though her severed arm would probably need a little more time—

"Ho ho."

A voice came from behind me without any warning of someone's approach. I hurriedly turned around.

"You really did drive him off all by yourself."

Auriel Gabis stood there, looking at me as though I had done him proud.

* * *

"It would have been much easier if you'd helped, sir."

"I don't wish to meet that fellow just yet."

"I see..."

It was obvious he wouldn't explain why, so I turned my gaze elsewhere. Something floated in the air to Auriel Gabis's left, as if suspended by telekinesis.

No, not something. Someone.

It was Youngmelia, unconscious. Her presence suggested things had gone smoothly on his end without any surprises, but...

'I'd better make sure.'

I fixed my gaze on Auriel Gabis again and asked, "So... how did things go on your end?"

"Very well. I even told her my name at the end, as you requested."

"And Laura?"

"Hmm. You seem to have grown a little less polite all of a sudden..."

"Ha ha, surely not. You're mistaken. Entirely mistaken."

The old man gave me a suspicious look, then apparently decided it wasn't important and chuckled it off.

"In any case, the same goes for this girl's older sister. As you requested, I gave her the medicine, fully healed her, and sent her up to the surface."

The old man certainly knew how to get a job done. As he went on to explain, he had apparently thrown her in front of the first carriage he saw on the surface to make it look like an accident.

That would explain her complete memory loss. What's more, he said he had tucked an identity tag among his possessions into her clothes, one belonging to someone of a similar age with no ties to anyone...

"I thought I understood what you wanted. I trust I haven't done anything unnecessary? Ho ho."

"Not at all, sir."

That should take care of her older sister. So I moved on to the next item.

"And what about the younger sister?"

"Don't worry. Didn't I tell you? Subtle magic is my specialty. This child will likely never realize she saw an illusion. Apart from her sister ceasing to breathe, it all really happened."

Laura being crushed beneath a boulder and stabbing herself in the throat had been real. Only her heart stopping and the potion losing its effect had been an illusion.

"But tell me. Was it really necessary to give her my name?"

"She remembers it that way. What else could I do?"

It was an essential part of the script if we wanted to avoid a contradiction.

"Hmm, true enough. You really are clever, though, coming up with such an ingenious idea."

The old man looked impressed, but it left a bitter taste in my mouth. Thinking about it, this whole thing was an utter farce. I felt like an actor following a script.

'It's so inefficient.'

Even now that it was over, I couldn't accept it. Left to my own devices, I wouldn't have done things this way.

There would have been no need to pretend Laura had died, nor any reason to take Amelia back to Noark. I could have simply sent her to the surface with her sister.

Everyone could have had a happy ending. Yet I had chosen this inefficient method, one that would force a girl to suffer tragedy for twenty years.

Because I had come back to the past and met Auriel Gabis. Because that had made me realize there was no way to undo what had already happened.

I had fixed the outcome in place and fitted everything else around it. In a sense, all I had done was rearrange things without changing the substance.

'Maybe...'

Maybe wondering which came first, the chicken or the egg, had been pointless from the start. After all, what did it matter?

Whichever came first, the egg a chicken laid would ultimately go through the process of becoming a chicken and arrive at the same result: a chicken.

"You don't look particularly happy."

At Auriel Gabis's question, I honestly shared what was on my mind. It was a fairly long story, but he listened closely, then patted my forearm.

"It's not that I don't understand how you feel, but don't dwell on it too much. Surely you've gained a great deal from all this yourself."

His consolation wasn't particularly helpful.

Information I could only obtain in the past, the buff Auriel Gabis had cast on me, the double-digit Numbered item Kraul's Demon Crusher, and even an Amelia (SSR) Recruitment Ticket.

I certainly had gained a lot, but...

"The world, nations, and society endure because everyone fulfills their role. Think of this as having been yours."

Putting it that way just made me feel even more uneasy.

What exactly was the Stone Fragment of Records? I wanted to ask more about it, but I didn't have the luxury right now.

"Anyway, now that everything is finished, I believe I'll collect my promised pay—"

As Auriel Gabis casually shifted the subject, I cut him off firmly.

"We're not finished yet."

"Hmm?"

"Please hand her over."

There was one last thing I had to do.

* * *

When Amelia came to, someone was carrying her on their back, running through the sewers. Even through her hazy consciousness, she wondered who it could be.

"You're awake."

The voice brought her fully to her senses. No wonder his back was so broad that her arms ached.

"Sir Iron Mask..."

It was Iron Mask. Unlike the other clan members, he had been generous and kind to the sisters, both inside the Labyrinth and out.

And...

'Lady Emily's companion.'

For reasons she couldn't understand, Emily had looked after the two sisters all day. Amelia wasn't so oblivious that she hadn't noticed.

'Why did they help us...?'

She had no way of knowing. But one thing was certain. Without their devoted efforts, she and her sister would probably have long since...

'Long since...?'

As her thoughts reached that point, the memories came flooding back.

"L-Laura!"

"...?"

"W-what happened to my sister? She should have been b-beside me...! Didn't you see her?"

"... You were the only one I found in the rubble."

"Ah..."

Amelia's hands tightened without her realizing it.

"Ah, ahh..."

Her head spun. Iron Mask's explanation of their situation sounded muddled in her ears.

"We're heading back to Noark. The passage to the city above has collapsed... What? Are you asleep?"

As her consciousness faded, the man's deep voice echoed softly.

"... I'm sorry I couldn't save you both properly."

"..."

"See you later."

That was the last thing she remembered.

"Where... am I?"

When she opened her eyes again some time later, she was in a bleak cemetery. Noark's citadel stood in the distance, and an acrid smell filled her nose.

And...

"..."

There was no one around. Not Iron Mask. Not Emily.

Not my one and only sister.

As if in a trance, Amelia slid out her dagger. Thick blood clung to it.

"L-Laura..."

Looking at the blood on the dagger made it real. Everything that had happened today was no dream.

"Ah, ahh..."

Amelia had been sitting slumped on the ground for a long time when a commotion reached her ears.

"Over here! There's someone here!"

"What? Who's this?"

"Looks like one of Felik Barker's beaters."

"Let's take her with us for now. She might know something."

Only after the guards led her into the city did Amelia realize.

"..."

She was completely alone.

My sister was no longer there to protect me.

From now on, she would have to survive in this city on her own.

* * *

As I watched the guards take Amelia away, a voice came from behind me.

"Seeing that weighs on my heart. It feels as though we've done something terrible."

What was he on about? Was he trying to play the kindly grandfather? He didn't actually feel that way.

"Anyway, where did you leave my companion to come here alone?"

"That young lady is where we were earlier."

"Even so, leaving an unconscious woman..."

"Don't worry. She would have awakened as soon as I left."

Well, in that case. His words eased my concern. Whatever happened, she could take care of herself.

There was just one thing I wondered about.

"But why didn't you come together?"

Auriel Gabis answered as though I had asked something obvious.

"Don't you have something to discuss with me?"

Oh, that...

'I can't exactly dig my heels in and refuse now...'

It was only human nature to change your tune once you no longer needed help. Even though I had resolved to give him what I owed, now that the moment had come, I couldn't easily bring myself to speak.

"You aren't planning to break your promise, are you?"

Auriel Gabis's voice was gentle, but there was a peculiar pressure behind the words.

"Your name."

As I subtly averted my eyes, a strange gleam appeared in the old man's gaze, and he stepped closer.

"Tell me your name. Or you could take off that mask first. Hmm, yes... I'd best see your face first."

The way he snorted with every breath was truly terrifying. So...

"W-wait!"

I hurriedly raised a hand to stop Auriel Gabis, then reached into subspace. Seeing this, he asked,

"... Why are you rummaging through your bag?"

Because there was something I wanted to try.

"The Stone Fragment of Records?"

He tilted his head when he saw what I pulled from my subspace backpack.

"Why that?"

Why else? This was my final gambit. After all, the lord had said:

["I-I heard it is the same as when you came. Once you finish everything you must do here, you can be called back..."]

The way to return to our original time was to finish all our “tasks.” I had concluded that my remaining task was to save Laura.

And that role was now complete. In short, if things went well, I could use this to flee into the future without paying his wages.

Well, that was how it was supposed to go...

'Why isn't it working?'

The Stone Fragment of Records didn't stir.

Had my disappointment shown on my face without my realizing it?

"... Ho ho. So that was what you were after."

The old man must have caught on to my intentions, because he glared at me, his eyes flashing.

"I wasn't lying when I said I wanted a friendly relationship. That's why I granted even all these troublesome requests... To think you were planning to stab me in the back right to the very end."

"It's a misunderstanding... a misunderstanding. If we could just discuss this calmly—"

"Enough. I now know exactly how to handle you."

'Fuck me.'

As I involuntarily stepped back, Auriel Gabis gestured in the air.

WHOOSH!

An invisible force dragged my body toward him, as though he had used [Eye of the Storm]. Before I knew it, I was right in front of him.

"Now, let's see your face first."

Auriel Gabis reached for my helmet.

'Ha. If I'd known this would happen, I'd have taken it off myself.'

Regret came too late. There was no turning back now.

TAP.

It happened the instant Auriel Gabis's fingertips touched my helmet.

Didn't they say there was light even in the darkest night?

WHOOOOOSH!

The Stone Fragment of Records in my hand suddenly began radiating pure white light in every direction.

'Now this is exploiting the elderly.'

As the entire world turned white, I grinned.

"Well, sorry about this. I was going to keep my promise."

"... You bastard!!"

"Please don't shout. What can I do? Apparently, my role here is finished."

"Your name! Then at least tell me your name—"

The light exploded in a brilliant flash, drowning out Auriel Gabis's voice.

And...

TAP.

The light faded, and my feet, which had been hovering slightly above the ground, touched down.

The timing had been close, but my plan to exploit an old man for unpaid labor had succeeded—

"Uh..."

But what on earth was going on now?

"Huh...?"

I looked around and froze, dumbfounded.

Everything was exactly the same.

The grave I had broken. The cemetery caretaker's corpse. Even the smell of burning drifting from the fire-ravaged city.

If I had returned to my original time, something should have changed. Yet everything around me was unchanged.

Except...

"What the hell? Where'd the old man go?"

Only Auriel Gabis had disappeared.