Ch.281Chapter 281: Give It Back!! (1)

Despite the complex emotions arising from just seeing Imperfectio’s back, my steps forward continued relatively smoothly.

Well, considering I was in the middle of a prison break and escape—actions that would normally cause an uproar—

How could I not call it smooth when there was barely any pursuit squad from the Obsidian Palace trying to stop me?

All of this was because I wasn’t escaping this palace through the normal(?) route.

CRASH—!!

It was the result of following the path created by Imperfectio, an existence outside standard specifications, who was mercilessly smashing through the obsidian inner walls with just her fists as she moved forward.

No, even if I were a being belonging to this demon realm, would I ever imagine an escaped prisoner not using existing paths to escape but creating their own way out?

As if my thoughts weren’t enough—

[…I never expected we could leave this place so easily. It’s almost absurd.]

Even Fafnir left an assessment tinged with some disappointment, so there was no need to further discuss how extraordinarily unconventional this situation was.

CRASH—!!

Another wall crumbles in the meantime. The inner walls of the palace, made of obsidian crafted with divinity infused by a being who had reached transcendence, were crumbling like crackers with just a single punch.

“…This way.”

And the perpetrator who destroyed it turned her head toward me, gesturing as if she hadn’t done anything significant, simply inviting me to follow the path created by the broken wall.

Though her helmet obscured most of her expression—

The slight upward curve visible at the corner of her mouth suggested that Imperfectio was quite pleased with the situation.

…Is she enjoying rebelling against Desire, whom she calls mother?

I suddenly recalled Desire lamenting that every being who took the position of her agent was destined to rebel against her without exception.

It was a memorable image from countless repeated memories, including before my regression, as it was completely contrary to her appearance, which suggested she would flare up in anger if a subordinate rebelled.

Just as I was beginning to think that this agent, who resembled Siz so much, might also be rebelling against the being she called “mother” for reasons unknown to me—

“…Shh.”

My footsteps following Imperfectio stopped as she placed her right index finger to her lips, requesting silence.

As I wondered why she had halted our progress—

THUMP THUMP THUMP—!!

The loud, clamorous footsteps coming from not far from where Imperfectio had just thoroughly demolished the wall answered my question.

It was the first time a pursuit squad searching for the escaped prisoners had caught our trail after a long chase.

The fortunate thing was that these footsteps belonged to only about three individuals whose skills were so poor that I could handle them without even drawing my sword.

It was such a meager pursuit squad that it seemed almost a waste to have formulated countermeasures.

[Hmm. It seems some tension is finally being added to what has been a leisurely prison break.]

Fafnir merely expressed the sentiment that having some pursuit was better than nothing.

Since it would be troublesome to have obstacles in what had been a smooth escape until now—

‘…The best prison break is one where you don’t get caught by pursuit squads at all.’

I quietly recited my philosophy regarding prison breaks in response to Fafnir’s random commentary.

[After coming all this way, you’ve barely even swung your sword except for a few slashes at Desire in the air. An escape is an escape, but shouldn’t you at least rack up some achievements here so you’ll have something to talk about later?]

‘….’

I was left speechless by Fafnir’s aggressive yet somehow logical argument.

I felt myself being persuaded despite knowing I shouldn’t be.

It did look bad to escape from a demon god’s stronghold without any notable accomplishments, even if I had been brought here against my will.

‘…I’ll deal with them when they come within range.’

Pretending to give in to Fafnir’s pestering, I moved my right hand to my waist where—

Ah.

…It’s not there.

I only now realized that I had lost my dragon sword to Desire, having been so focused on retrieving my mother’s keepsake during the escape.

…Should I go back?

As my dilemma deepened—

BOOM BOOM BOOM—!!

The clamorous sound assaulting my ears indicated that the owners of those footsteps had reached a point not far from where Imperfectio and I were.

Though I couldn’t yet visually confirm their appearance, only hearing their footsteps—

Judging by the loud footsteps, they seemed to be Horn Demons, known as the most aggressive race in this demon realm.

It seemed they would vaguely detect Imperfectio and me, despite our completely suppressed presence, with just a few more steps.

Just as I was about to make a preemptive strike to eliminate them—

The footsteps that seemed like they would continue without pause suddenly stopped.

“Damn it! We rushed here after hearing the sound of walls breaking, but where the hell did they escape to?”

“They’re fast. Did they break through and immediately dig in somewhere else to escape?”

“Who knows. Either they’ve already left or they’re hiding beyond that wall, holding their breath.”

I could hear the Horn Demon patrollers venting their frustration at not being able to find the escaped prisoners despite arriving here at an impressive speed.

…As one of them with sharp instincts seemed to be focusing on the inner wall where we were hiding—

I steeled my breath, deciding to strike first and eliminate them when they came within range.

“Anyway, seeing what’s been done here leaves me speechless. To think it’s possible to escape by smashing through these obsidian walls. I was half-skeptical when I first heard it.”

“Whether it makes sense or not isn’t important. The current phenomenon proves it’s true, so what does it matter?”

“That’s the problem. The power of the ones we’re supposed to catch makes us look like roadside pebbles in comparison—how are we supposed to catch them? I’m going to be careful while pursuing. Life is precious, after all.”

“That’s asking to be struck by lightning in your sleep. Lord Adorator has set out with fire in her eyes to catch the escapees—how can lowly demons like us even think about slacking off?”

“Well, slacking off is out of the question, but we need to be flexible according to the situation. Just reporting to Lord Adorator that we found traces of the escapees would be more than enough for us to fulfill our duty.”

“…That’s true.”

These guys seemed just as conflicted in their minds. Their reluctance to perform their duty as patrollers—to search the interior—was clearly evident.

This was troublesome. While I was confident I could eliminate them instantly if they approached—

It was uncertain whether I could handle all three if they refused to come here and instead withdrew to report to Adorator.

It wasn’t that eliminating all three would be difficult in the pure sense—

Unlike eliminating them when they entered my range, I couldn’t be certain that actively pursuing and eliminating them would end with just those three.

[There are more than just those guys. Going out to eliminate them and getting spotted by others wouldn’t be a good move either.]

‘We’re screwed….’

With Fafnir’s warning cementing my judgment, I could only repeatedly clench and unclench my right hand in frustration.

But there’s a saying that you shouldn’t just sit and wait for death—

[Hmm. Looks like we can stay put after all.]

‘…What?’

[Because a precious person carrying exactly what we need is coming.]

‘What we need?’

Before I could question Fafnir’s sudden statement—

“I heard everything, you incompetent fools.”

Adorator’s fierce voice, formed in a low register but clearly conveying her overflowing anger despite the distance, reached my ears.

THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!

Followed by the sound of something being struck with a blunt weapon, uncharacteristic of her usual combat style.

“””Urghhhh….”””

THUD—!!

I could hear the trio who had arrived earlier simultaneously groaning and collapsing.

It seemed the result of her usual loving(?) punishment being administered to her incompetent subordinates who thought of running away before even reporting.

…But wait, how did she get here?

If she had arrived this loudly, I should have at least sensed her presence, but I didn’t.

[This demon realm isn’t kind to those who don’t belong here.]

‘…Ah.’

[You wouldn’t know since you’ve never visited a place like this except in situations like now. The thick, murky energy permeating this place is optimized to scatter the sensory perception of ordinary beings.]

‘I didn’t realize because I used to come and go as if it were my home.’

[That sounds strange coming from someone who’s constantly trying to escape from this place they supposedly treated like home.]

‘Just let it slide. This is my first time visiting this place with this identity.’

As our casual conversation while listening to Fafnir’s information was about to deepen—

BOOM—!!

A thunderous sound struck my ears as Adorator violently stomped on the obsidian floor.

“I know you’re hiding! Come out!!”

I could hear her bold declaration directed at the inner wall where Imperfectio and I were hiding.

I had no intention of coming out just because she ordered it—that would defeat the purpose of escaping—so I simply suppressed my presence and waited to see what she would do next.

CLANG—! CLANG—!

As Adorator nervously struck something against the obsidian floor—

“If you don’t come out, I’ll smash your sword to pieces right here!!”

She was unfairly threatening me while holding my dragon sword.

[Wow, look how clever she is, using that for blackmail.]

Even without Fafnir’s not-so-admiring commentary, I was about to leap out immediately.

*Grip*

But Imperfectio grabbed my arm as I was about to shoot out like an arrow released from a bowstring, forcing me to stop.

Thinking she might be turning against me now that the situation had changed, I quickly turned my head to look at her.

Contrary to my expectations, she simply shook her head, showing no intention beyond stopping my movement, which made me suspicious.

“Ah. Still not coming out? Are they really not here? Where did they escape to?”

Only after hearing Adorator’s disgruntled voice and footsteps approaching the inner wall where we were hiding did Imperfectio nod silently and release my arm.

‘Huh.’

Only then did I realize she had stopped me to lure the opponent closer, which made me inwardly sigh in slight disappointment.

I was surprised she wasn’t being hostile toward me. The thought crossed my mind that Desire truly had bad luck with her “children.”

Step, step, step

I could feel Adorator’s footsteps, audibly impatient, approaching very close.

At just the right distance—the optimal range from which I could launch a surprise attack from anywhere.

The time had come.

“Where the hell did they g— URGH!!”

This was the moment to deliver righteous punishment filled with both gratitude for bringing my weapon and unquenchable indignation toward the crazy woman who had played with someone else’s weapon.

You’re dead now, you damned woman.