Chapter 149

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Why is Arin here?

Well, it’s the weekend.

Arin could’ve come out to have fun too.

After all, this is the nation’s premier cultural square.

It’s the perfect place to spend a holiday, right?

What a strange coincidence to run into her here.

“Lucia?!”

But something’s off. Arin looked visibly flustered.

Is running into her at the exhibition hall really that awkward?

Her pupils trembled as if she’d been caught pulling a prank.

Huh, what’s this? Do you dislike running into Lucia that much?

That’s too harsh. Lucia likes Arin, but does Arin dislike Lucia?

I was puzzled by Arin’s overreaction and glanced around.

Monster corpses were scattered across the floor.

The spilled blood slowly spread.

Clean cuts.

A single slash to the throat.

Precise strikes aimed at vital points.

It really was Arin’s handiwork.

Overshadowed by Eugene, but Arin is also a skilled fighter beyond her years.

Of course. She’s the child of the 2nd Division’s captain and vice-captain. 

Supernatural abilities aren’t inherited by blood, but some traits are passed down. The bloodline of a supernatural who reached the pinnacle of humanity. 

While her ability lacks firepower, it’s perfectly balanced in every other way. Her pure swordsmanship even surpasses Eugene’s.

“Did you come here to have fun too?”

Honestly, it’s a trivial question given the current situation.

A spatial rift has opened, and Murmur has appeared.

Why she came to the exhibition hall is a secondary concern.

In that sense, Arin’s appearance was quite welcomed.

She has a direct line to the captain, after all.

One word from Arin, and the 2nd Division captain would come running.

I planned to ask out of courtesy and then get straight to the point.

But Arin’s reaction was strange.

She avoided eye contact like someone with something to hide.

That’s the kind of reaction someone hiding something would have.

Our always upright and honest class president, what’s going on today?

Arin sighed deeply, pressing her forehead.

“…Sigh, what’s the point of hiding anything in a situation like this.”

“Hiding?”

Arin flicked the blood off her sword.

Her clothes were stained red.

Fortunately, it didn’t seem to be her own blood.

“I didn’t come here to have fun. I was actually following you. Secretly.”

“Following… me?”

Arin? Following me? Why?

What reason would the Class A president have to tail Lucia?

Wait, come to think of it, didn’t she follow me last time too?

Huh, is Arin a habitual stalker?

I had no idea our diligent class president had such a hobby.

“Well…”

Arin glanced at Carlos beside me and sighed heavily again.

Given the situation, she explained things quite briefly, but as her explanation went on, I felt increasingly perplexed.

“Eugene and Alice came too…?”

…Why?

They should be peacefully dating in the library right now.

Lucia went out of her way to create a chance for them to get closer!

They’re a match made in heaven, so they’d get along quickly just by talking!

‘…Wait, come to think of it, isn’t this also a date?’

Arin was here too, but the two of them are still together.

They have a common goal, and if they’ve teamed up…

This isn’t so bad either.

As for the library date… well, we can always create another opportunity.

“This is really rude. Carlos isn’t a bad guy.”

And it’s not like this is the first time either.

I hugged Anna tighter as I spoke.

The reason the three of them secretly followed me was because of Carlos from Class D.

If they’d followed me before, they’d know.

That Carlos isn’t the villainous figure the rumors make him out to be.

Rumors are just rumors.

Baseless… well, not entirely baseless, but exaggerated.

Still, most of it is just inflated hearsay.

Of course, I can understand their concerns.

You can’t know everything from just one tailing.

It’s reasonable to prepare for the worst out of caution.

“…I’m sorry.”

Arin apologized sincerely.

It was an apology to me and to Carlos.

In plain terms, she admitted they followed him because he was suspicious.

Carlos could’ve been upset.

“Is that so.”

Of course, Carlos didn’t care at all.

His only reaction was a calm nod.

He’s lived with suspicion and misunderstanding all his life.

And Carlos has no intention of clearing any of it up.

A little suspicion like this is just part of his daily life.

“Wait, so the explosions and heat… are Eugene and Alice?”

“Yeah, it’s them.”

Arin nodded at my question.

So it was those two after all.

No wonder it felt familiar.

Realizing that, I started to feel uneasy.

Think about it.

Eugene is the protagonist of this world.

The protagonist is someone who attracts all kinds of adversity.

During field training.

During the cherry blossom festival.

Everywhere Eugene goes, something always happens.

Could he be in a dangerous situation again?

The continuous explosions suggest they’re fighting.

What are they fighting? If it’s just ordinary monsters, it’s fine.

But if they’re fighting something like the Black Knight from last time…

“…The situation isn’t good. Eugene and Alice are buying time against a dangerous individual.”

And my unease became reality.

I wish these things would miss for once.

“I didn’t sense any monsters. But the danger feels the same as a monster.”

She was wearing a red fox mask.

My neck went cold at Arin’s words.

The red fox mask is a symbol of Astaroth.

Wearing it means she’s either Astaroth herself or under her control.

If Arin says it’s dangerous, it’s really dangerous.

‘Danger Sense’. It detects all threats and dangers directed at her.

No one surpasses Arin in identifying danger.

“…Arin, I’m sorry, but can you take Anna to a safe place?”

“Huh?”

I handed Anna over to Arin as if tossing her.

It was so sudden that Arin dropped her sword and hurriedly caught Anna.

With both hands free, I turned to look at Carlos.

“Carlos, stay here with Arin and protect this place. Please.”

“What about you?”

It was a short question, but I knew it carried a lot of meaning.

I smiled awkwardly and replied.

“I’m worried, so I need to go.”

Even though I’m much weaker than the two of them.

Lucia has her own strengths, you know.

I can at least be a meat shield like last time.

◈

The exhibition hall commemorating the Celestial War.

The great war where the heavens collapsed and the earth shook.

The walls recording that great victory were crumbling.

Eugene realized he had briefly lost consciousness.

His body was embedded in the wall. His stomach churned.

The rising bile was mixed with black, coagulated blood.

It might have been less than a second, but losing consciousness during a fight was fatal.

“Ugh.”

Groaning softly, Eugene pushed his aching body up.

Burnt ashes and dust fell ominously.

His vision was blurry and red. His eyes hurt.

Blood flowing down his forehead blurred his sight.

“…”

The woman in the red fox mask stood arrogantly.

Her left hand was behind her back, and her right hand held a longsword.

The longsword, dark as night, seemed to hold the night sky within it.

“Damn it…”

Frey spat out a rough curse.

Her breathing was ragged. It felt like her heart would burst at any moment.

At first, she had controlled her power due to the underground environment.

But it didn’t take long to realize that such restraint was meaningless.

Even at full power, her heat rays couldn’t reach the woman.

With a single swing of her sword, the woman scattered the heat rays.

They were cut. Split. The heat rays turned into a gentle breeze.

Even the combined attack with Alice, which had taken down the Black Knight, was useless.

Two personalities, two minds.

Simultaneously firing heat rays in a concentrated point.

Firepower surpassing even Eugene’s Sun Sword.

A technique that could take down a high rank monster in one hit.

It was blocked.

By just one sword.

With a single slash.

The woman hadn’t moved a single step from her spot.

Yet, they were the ones being overwhelmed.

‘A named monster…?’

Eugene questioned the thought that had crossed his mind.

He had faced a named monster before.

He had felt its strength. He had experienced its overwhelming power.

He had somehow won, but it was essentially a fluke.

It was a victory made possible by sheer luck.

If Lucia and Alice hadn’t been there, he would have undoubtedly lost.

That’s how powerful a named monster is.

What about the woman in front of him? Is she a named monster?

‘Something’s different.’

He didn’t know what it was.

It wasn’t rational logic but an instinctive warning.

It was different. Something was different.

Like a jigsaw puzzle with mismatched pieces scattered chaotically.

‘Why is she holding back?’

The difference in strength was clear.

They were being overwhelmed without her even moving a step.

If she had wanted to, Eugene and Frey would have been dead long ago.

But the woman didn’t do that.

She didn’t dodge any attacks; she countered them head-on.

Yet, she didn’t even suffer a scratch or a burn.

Then, she lowered the tip of her sword.

As if telling them to try again.

‘It’s like… she’s experimenting…’

On what?

Eugene asked himself.

He couldn’t answer rashly.

The answer was too unrealistic.

It felt like she was experimenting on her own body.

Testing how far she could go, how much she could react.

She acted leisurely, like checking the functions of a new object.

“Is that it?”

The woman spoke calmly.

She showed no signs of fatigue.

Her voice was relaxed.

That fact made him feel even more intimidated.

“…No way, that can’t be.”

From his right hand, violent flames erupted.

The ground beneath his feet caved in.

The fire alarm was already broken.

Otherwise, a deafening siren would have been blaring.

‘I absolutely can’t let her reach Lucia.’

That thought spurred Eugene on.

She was in the exhibition hall.

Lucia would undoubtedly come to this place where the commotion was happening.

He couldn’t let them meet. He couldn’t let Lucia face that woman.

He didn’t know why the woman was targeting Lucia, but it couldn’t be for a good reason.

“…Here I come.”

Eugene adjusted his stance.

He stepped forward with his right leg and slightly bent his knee.

He was ready to charge at any moment, his gaze fixed ahead.

The woman in the red fox mask still stood in the same posture, watching Eugene.

Despite the prolonged and increasingly fierce battle, not a single stain marred her clothes.

Was it just his imagination?

Even though her face was hidden behind the mask.

And her expression couldn’t be seen.

Eugene felt like the woman in the red fox mask was smiling.

As if she was thoroughly enjoying herself.

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
Ere likes her new body.

Except for the healing pouch, she still has no idea what uses it could bring.

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
You know, this whole encounter might have been avoided had they responded with a “We don’t know!” considering that the enemy has the IQ of an ipad kid.

Smh, wisdom chases everyone, but some people do outrun it, I suppose…