Chapter 51 Suspicious Shadow
{TL: By Creed}
"Alright, somehow we managed to defeat it."
With this, the stampede should settle down.
I don't think we need to worry about Sofia, but... Still, things that bother me bother me.
Let's hurry back.
"Furahire hara..."
"What's wrong, Licorice?"
"Fate moves too fast... I'm feeling dizzy. Bleh..."
"I-I'm sorry!?"
Hastily lowering Licorice, I gently rub her small back with my fingertips.
"Are you okay?"
"This is bad... really bad... Bleh."
"Water, do you want water?"
"If I drink anything now... bleh."
Oh no... Licorice looks truly unwell.
This is troublesome. I want to return to the city quickly, but I can't push Licorice too hard. Let's take a short break here...
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, I feel a sense of unease.
I glance around. The area is in disarray from the battle with Zephyranthes, but there's nothing out of the ordinary that would cause this feeling of discomfort.
There's nothing apparent, but...
I feel it like a prick of a needle. Being watched. And hostility directed towards me.
It's subtle enough that it could be mistaken for a misunderstanding or paranoia, but...
I'm certain. With my experience, my crisis detection ability is keen, so I won't miss this hostility.
"There!"
I release a throwing knife concealed in my boot. The knife embeds itself into a tree a short distance away.
"Huh!?"
Surprised by being discovered, there's a voice of shock, followed by hurried footsteps fading away.
Hmm, missed.
I still have much to improve.
"I'd like to pursue, but I can't leave Licorice behind... Huh?"
I investigate where the voice came from and find someone's footprints. Judging by the size, they're probably a man's.
And...
"What's this?"
A palm-sized crystal ball lies on the ground. It's like the ones fortune tellers often use. But it's not clear; it's entirely black, radiating an ominous darkness.
"Hmm? I have no idea what this is... but it seems important. It might be related to this incident. I should take it back."
I put the crystal ball into my bag.
Then,
"Ugh... F-Fate..."
"Licorice?"
A very weak voice from Licorice.
Could it be that the suspicious figure from earlier approached Licorice!?
On hurriedly returning,
"I... I'm done... eugh..."
"Oh no!?"
I decided not to speak of what happened to Licorice, out of respect for their dignity.
――――――――――
I returned to the outskirts of the city and was left speechless.
"Huh? What's... this..."
Demon corpses, demon corpses, demon corpses.
Demons were strewn everywhere, creating an unimaginable scene of devastation.
However, it seems the city is not in immediate danger. All the demons seem to have been defeated...
Many people are dismantling the demons to gather materials, while the remainder are being incinerated one by one.
This must be the aftermath of the stampede...
But there were supposed to be around five thousand demons. This looks like far more than that...
"Fate!!!"
"Oh!"
At the familiar voice, I turned around...
Immediately, there was a thud, and I was knocked down.
"Fate, are you alright!? Are you injured!? Are you feeling sick!? Have you been reckless!?"
"Um... I'm back, Sofia."
"Welcome back, Fate."
"I'm okay. I defeated the Queen properly."
"Yes, I noticed the sudden decline in demon activity. But I'm worried about injuries... Are you really okay? Are you pushing yourself too hard?"
"No need to worry. But..."
"Still, are you injured somewhere!?"
"...Licorice is in trouble."
"Huh?"
Due to the forceful impact of Sofia's embrace, Licorice was tossed aside...
"Ugh..."
She collapsed limply to the ground.
It seems she couldn't fly due to being drunk.
"Ah!? S-Sorry. Are you okay, Licorice?"
"You... look at me now and ask if I'm okay... Do you have bad eyesight or something...?"
"I'm really sorry!"
"Hey hey, it's quite lively here... Glad you're back safely. And well done on defeating the Queen."
Cliff appeared.
He wore a cheerful smile, but there were demon bloodstains all over.
He must have fought fiercely alongside Sofia.
"Are you alright? You don't seem to be injured, but... well, judging by appearances can be dangerous. I'll arrange for a healer to check on you later."
"Thank you. By the way, I picked up something that caught my interest."
I take out the dark crystal ball from the darkness.
"Cliff, do you know anything about this?"
"This... "
Cliff's expression turned serious.
Seeing that, I couldn't help but imagine that more trouble was on the horizon.
TL Note: Time for Round 2?
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