NOVEL NEXT Chapter 82
“Hey──!!!”
At the shout piercing through the Coliseum, I turned my head while lying down.
Leading the remnants of a handful of adventurers who survived was Verdolf, carrying a wizard on his back, and Gregory.
They were making their way toward me, dragging their battered bodies, stumbling from way back.
“Ugh.”
After propping myself up, I shook my head.
Is it the aftereffects of battle? Or has the adrenaline worn off?
Whatever the case, it wasn’t so much physical exhaustion as it was mental fatigue making my body feel like a soaked sponge, all droopy and damp.
‘Is this how it feels every time we go to these labyrinths and cities?’
What started as a delightful outing to the circus with Lumia ended up turning into a life-or-death situation entangled with an apostle of the Evil God.
I distinctly remember deciding to take a proper break for a few days after escaping the last labyrinth… How did I end up like this?
As I let out a deep sigh, Shurika, still nestled in my arms, looked up at me.
“Is… is there a problem? Did I cause this?”
Her wavering gaze sent waves through me.
Well, I didn’t know her well and we’d only been involved for a day, but she seemed to have a confident, spirited first impression.
Maybe it was because her body had been overtaken by the Evil God, but she looked like she had some mental issues.
“No, it’s not that. It’d be better if you let go now. People are coming this way.”
“Ah, oh… I’m sorry. I must have been a bother, huh?”
I pushed her off as she lowered her head and stood up.
“Ugh.”
Thud.
Is my body not cooperating? Shurika, trying to stand with me, suddenly collapsed with a soft whimper.
“Catch me.”
“Th-thank you.”
Thump.
“…Huh. Ha. My legs won’t move the way I want. What do I do?”
Why are you looking at me for that, sigh.
“Stop crying, relax your body, and lean on me.”
First, I draped her arm over my shoulder and let her lean slowly.
And though it was somewhat cruel, since we had to hear it eventually, I decided to speak up.
“This might be like a bolt from the blue to you, but right now, you should be worrying about whether you can survive before anything else.”
“What? …Ah.”
Her expression went blank, realizing the obvious thing she had failed to grasp.
It seemed she had just come to realize her current predicament, as clouds darkened her face.
“I- I don’t want to die! Even if I didn’t commit the massacre willingly, I still bear the heavy guilt of having to die to atone! But I still want to live… please.”
Watching Shurika sob earnestly, insisting she couldn’t die here because she had important things left to do, I spoke.
“I know well that you’re a victim. Considering how you kept crying and yelling to run away, I don’t want to just let you die. Do you happen to have some money saved up?”
“Yes! I’ve been in the labyrinth for a few years, so I have quite a bit! And, I have items too!”
“Great. Then, let’s have a chat with the adventurers from now on, but before that, let’s share a kiss. You need to get your head straight.”
“W-we kiss?! …Ah. You mean—”
Before Shurika could even finish her sentence, Verdolf, who had approached us, revealed his teeth and showed a cold demeanor.
“Damn it. Look at this shameless girl, leaning on someone else? Hey, swordsman. Why aren’t you killing her immediately? How is she even still standing?”
“I-I’m sorry!”
I held back Shurika, who was about to speak out. She was making things worse when she should just stay quiet.
“Just hold on a second. Let’s calm down and talk it out slowly.”
“What the hell—! Huh. Including spirits, I’d estimate the number of adventurers that girl killed at over thirty. You plan on just ignoring the sacrifices of your comrades?”
As I was about to argue that she’s also a victim and appeal for compensation for the deceased’s families.
Boom!
Gregory, the paladin, who had been silently listening, stomped his foot to draw attention.
“Just one thing. Did you save her from the Evil God’s grasp? Can you say for certain that the Tehelum is completely independent now?”
He directed his serious tone at me, and without hesitation, I affirmed.
Fortunately, since I had previously provided various information regarding Irmela, it felt like he trusted my words.
“Despite experiencing the torment of being controlled by the Evil God, she is alive and well. Whatever method you used is intriguing. This is a miracle from the gods, and as a paladin of the Light Church, I can’t simply stand by and watch her die.”
“Suddenly talking about miracles—why has this become about you being a church paladin?”
Gregory didn’t care for Verdolf’s annoyance and raised his enthusiasm.
“The Light God who stands against the Evil Gods bestows radiance upon paladins wielding sword and shield.”
Boom—
His sword shimmered with a brilliant white light.
“Protect the weak, do not turn a blind eye to injustice, and eradicate and purify all that is related to the Evil God as much as you can.”
“…”
“Furthermore, my previous words included the intent to help those victimized by the Evil God. While I understand your emotions, it would be best to abandon any thoughts of killing her.”
“This bastard… do you think simply mentioning the gods will convince everyone?”
“It’s not nonsense!”
I raised my voice.
“Throughout the battle, she kept apologizing and repeatedly begged for her death, unable to control the body that acted against her will. The fact that Shurika was manipulated and conducted the massacre without any intent is apparent just from recalling how she pleaded to evade every attack.”
Nod.
“It’s tragic for those who died… but certainly makes sense. I’d rather not speculate on what might have happened if I had caught the Evil God’s eye instead of her… just imagining it is horrifying.”
Gregory nodded, and a rogue wielding twin daggers silently showed agreement.
“I doubt anyone would blame her for having given the Evil God the means to control her. If an extraordinary being sets its mind to corrupting a person, who here could resist?”
“Ugh…”
“Among those who participated in battle, I would suggest providing compensations to the relatives of the deceased, and we shall cover all your medical expenses. Shall we settle for this?”
I made a gesture toward Shurika, and she quickly added to my statement with an apology.
Except for the discontented Verdolf and one severely burnt frontliner, the rest seemed to find my words understandable.
That’s when it was about to come to a close.
“I’m also voting for keeping her alive.”
“Guild Leader!!!”
The middle-aged instructor who stepped up to protect his family shouted with delight.
Sena awkwardly scratched her cheek.
“Sorry, everyone. I said I’d wrap things up quickly but fighting that apostle took longer than expected because they were hiding a lot.”
“‘Also,’ huh? Is that implying…?”
The quiet archer who had been unnoticed spoke up, prompting the instructor to explode in excitement.
“Whoa! Don’t you know the Guild Leader of the Swordsmanship Guild, a deep adventurer and an apostle of the God of Martial Arts, Sena?! This guy is still in his rookie phase in Labyrinth City!”
As soon as he finished, lightning struck in my mind, and pieces of information started connecting.
—Wait, usually someone of my rank and capabilities would have at least one apprentice under them. Among my acquaintances, there’s someone who’s respected in the Swordsmanship Guild while taking a break from adventuring.
—During the ties of the teacher-student relationship, Ivelyn had expressed her disbelief.
—I examined Aren’s background after the first day of training. Who knew he was Yeohee’s apprentice? She once joined a party with an apostle and took down the Aldebaran on the 15th floor, right?
‘How the heck does this connect?’
So, in addition to being an esteemed predecessor and rare apostle, she’s a close acquaintance of my master? They even partied together at some point?
I felt dizzy. Really dizzy.
‘No, that’s not right. Could this be a good thing instead?’
Amidst the chaos, the situation she held became overshadowed as details began to capture my interest.
We had arranged for a private talk anyway, so to be linked with my master’s acquaintance felt much more comfortable.
As I pondered, I thought that it might actually work out.
Whoosh.
“Haha! What a shame! Anyway, we agreed to spare the spirit. Since that’s settled, shall we head to the Holy District for treatment? They did say the expenses would be on them?”
Sena quickly approached me and pointed to Shurika.
“Since traveling to Area 3 by carriage would take too long, I’ll cover the warp gate cost. Let’s go!”
“Sounds good!”
“Uh, all of that is fine, but… where have the civilians and lower-tier adventurers who retreated during the earlier battle gone? Did they all manage to escape while we were fighting?”
Oh no!
How foolish of me. No matter how demanding the battle was, how could I forget about Lumia, who was left with another group, and whether she’s alright?
“Oh, don’t worry about that. While fighting against the apostle, I occasionally glanced over and felt the general situation…”
Sena spoke, explaining that in the heat of battle, the lower-tier adventurers had carefully evacuated the civilians without drawing the attention of Irmela and Shurika.
“Thanks to those who went outside, I assume the onlookers and capable individuals to cover up the incident are nearby by now. Are they not here yet?”
Regardless, reassuring everyone, she leaned in close and added in a voice that was only audible to me.
“Go and get treated first, then let’s have a proper talk. I have some offers to make, and I won’t take no for an answer.”
Offers?
At that moment.
Clank, clank!
Just as everyone was moving in accordance with Sena’s lead to leave the Coliseum without any objections.
Sounds of metal clashing began to echo from outside.
But that wasn’t what mattered.
“No. My apprentice will go with me, and I’ll be getting treatment from a high priest present in the Knights! You take the rest with you instead.”
“Huh?”
WHOOSH!!!
In a split second, the atmosphere collided.
With her sunglasses pushed up, Sena grinned widely as if she saw someone unexpected.
“Oh! Ivelyn? What are you doing here from Area 3? Well, it’s nice to see a friend after such a long time.”
She said that and began to smile mischievously, but her expression grew stiff at the strange words.
“Wait, more importantly… your apprentice?”
Crackle. Crackle!
With intrigued amber eyes shining and blood-red pupils filled with dissatisfaction.
The two fierce gazes clashed in the air, sparking like lightning.
Huh… friends, right? You’re close, aren’t you?