Ch.287Chapter 287: As Expected

Walking well. Keep walking.

After subduing Adorator and finishing the bandaging of my blood-stained right hand, Imperfectio and I continued our steps without hesitation.

I mean that literally.

We weren’t wandering around looking for an exit.

Instead, whenever obsidian inner walls blocked our path…

CRASH!!

I simply followed behind Imperfectio, who shattered them with her left hand in place of my injured right one. With no obstacles in our way, “without hesitation” was the perfect description.

Occasionally, beings from the demon realm appeared to block our escape.

But they were so intimidated by Imperfectio’s fierce aura and commanding presence that they couldn’t even approach us, instead scurrying away with their tails between their legs.

I suppose no one has the guts to challenge an agent who inherited part of the divinity from a demon god.

Sometimes, there were foolhardy ones who believed in their abilities and dreamed of rebellion, charging at us with wild screams.

But countless times, such creatures met their end when I swung my dragon sword and banished them back into the dimensional cracks.

Despite being an improvised escape without any planning, our smooth progress was only natural.

When we encountered Adorator shortly after beginning our escape, I had felt an ominous premonition that this escape wouldn’t go well.

But after defeating such a powerful adversary early on, the weaklings that followed actually made the situation less tense.

[I never imagined escaping from here would be so boring and lacking in tension…]

Even Fafnir commented in a voice tinged with boredom.

Still, as we broke through obsidian walls to forge a new path—creating an unprecedented escape route—there was one thing that kept me on edge:

The suspicion that Imperfectio might be using this escape as a pretext to lead me somewhere else, perhaps to Desire.

However, as we continued walking, the obsidian palace scenery that came into view increasingly resembled the area near the exit I had frequently used before my regression.

The suspicion I’d harbored since leaving the prison cell—that Imperfectio might be leading me astray—had now faded to the point of being untraceable.

I had also quickly recovered my dragon sword thanks to Adorator bringing it.

Even Desire, though overflowing with power, had just awakened and seemed to be struggling to control her body, making it difficult for her to capture me.

I found myself filled with the useless thought that with a bit more effort, I might go down in history as the first human to escape this obsidian palace unscathed since the Great Cathedral incident.

Finally, when we safely exited the palace on foot and reached a point where we could see the entrance to Dragon Claw Mountain Range—the outermost region of the demon realm—

“Aren’t you curious?”

Had Imperfectio, who had been maintaining a consistent distance from me, not spoken these words, I probably would have continued with such thoughts until we reached our destination.

“About what?”

Since it was an abrupt question, I asked what curiosity she was referring to.

“About why I’m helping you escape this place without asking for anything in return.”

Imperfectio’s voice, which contained unexpected kindness for an answer to a question with another question, echoed in my ears.

Hmm. I had been planning to ask about that in passing anyway.

“I just didn’t ask because I figured you wouldn’t tell me even if I did.”

After throwing out this first line to show apparent disinterest,

“But if you’re willing to explain, I’m ready to listen attentively.”

I conveyed my inner thoughts—a deception that wasn’t entirely deceptive—that I would listen with an open mind if she would talk.

I had been thinking about asking depending on the atmosphere.

Since she was offering to explain herself, I decided to hear her out before she changed her mind.

Upon hearing my words, Imperfectio, who had been leading the way and showing only her back until now, turned around and our gazes met.

…Though it was ambiguous whether “gazes meeting” was the right expression given that her eyes were hidden behind her helmet.

“…”

But I couldn’t deny feeling her gaze as she silently looked at me, even with her helmet covering her face, so I don’t think the expression itself was wrong.

…The problem is that I can’t define what form that gaze takes.

I’m simply curious.

Was she maintaining that indifferent gaze she had when she first looked at me—when I was startled after her helmet broke, revealing a face resembling Siz?

Or was she looking at me with contempt for my transparent deception?

Whatever it was, it wasn’t clear due to the helmet covering everything except her mouth.

“I can only discard my current name by safely sending you away…”

Judging by the remarkably calm tone with which she explained her reason for releasing me,

The expression hidden behind that helmet must be equally indifferent.

The straight horizontal line formed by her lips as she spoke further suggested this.

Anyway, apart from my brief speculation about her expression, Imperfectio’s mouth continued to move without pause.

Unlike her initial disjointed question, her words now came with concise clarity and a calm tone, making them easy to absorb. To summarize what she said:

To her, whose name meant “imperfection” in an ancient language,

I had become the key that would lead her to becoming a perfect being.

She had always been imperfect, but upon seeing me, she found a clue to perfection, and as thanks, she was releasing me.

Well, when she mentioned the word “key,” I had the ominous thought that she might just help me escape from here only to imprison me somewhere else, but her answer turned out to be quite moderate.

However, there was one point I couldn’t understand no matter how much I concentrated:

“…Why am I your key?”

“…”

“I don’t quite understand even after hearing it. Could you explain more clearly?”

I asked out of lingering doubt, but,

“…”

All I heard from Imperfectio, who was leading the way, was the sound of our endless footsteps toward our destination.

Throwing out a topic and then ignoring my reaction to say only what she wanted to say.

This was typical behavior for a being of the demon realm who was bound by “desire” and raised by Desire.

Even if there were differences in degree, she was still a being tainted by demonic influence, wasn’t she?

Realizing this, a bitter smile was about to form on my lips, but,

“You’ll know soon enough…”

As if reading my thoughts, Imperfectio immediately spoke in a calm voice that stopped the bitter smile from forming.

It was the same calm voice she had been using since she first appeared, but,

Now that I had become accustomed to hearing it,

I could detect an unusual tinge of bitterness in Imperfectio’s calm voice as she told me I would soon understand.

Bitterness…

I couldn’t tell why she felt such bitterness, but,

I had no intention of prolonging this briefly connected conversation by pretending to know more than I did.

“If I’ll know soon…”

I simply nodded and matched my steps with hers without asking further questions.

I had no desire to break the current, appropriately quiet atmosphere by showing excessive interest in Imperfectio’s attitude, which was difficult to discern whether she couldn’t or wouldn’t give a detailed answer.

Step, step

Step, step

Only the sound of footsteps, maintaining an appropriate distance side by side, indicated that only Imperfectio and I were in this space.

Judging by the pure darkness of the sky that came into view as we left the space filled with reddish-black obsidian,

I sensed that I was about to achieve an unprecedented feat as the first living human with an untainted body.

That would be the incomparable achievement of successfully escaping from the demon realm where the awakened demon god’s divinity was surging—even if I had received someone’s help.

…Though I could only acknowledge it after reaching the entrance to Dragon Claw Mountain Range.

[Be care…]

Before Fafnir could finish his warning, the sense of dissonance filling my mind indicated that this escape was about to end in failure.

-Well done. You’ve already left the palace and are heading toward the mountains.

See? With Desire speaking to me from afar as soon as I try to escape, how could I claim a successful escape…

-It’s not entirely your own ability, but whatever the reason, making good use of the given situation is also a skill, so I’ll praise you.

…Huh?

This damned woman, how exactly is she speaking to me?

-Don’t be surprised. Not even a single pebble or grain of sand in this area is untouched by my hand. How could you think that I, who have awakened from sleep, would be unable to read your movements as you try to escape this place?

Ahahahaha-!!

The unpleasant laughter of Desire echoing in my mind made me quicken my already steady pace.

Imperfectio’s movements also accelerated, as if she had sensed my movement with eyes on the back of her head.

It was as if she too had heard Desire’s voice echoing in my mind.

But even though our destination was now close enough to be visible to the naked eye,

And our pace had gone beyond walking to the point of running,

We couldn’t cross the boundary between the demon realm and Dragon Claw Mountain Range that seemed just within reach.

It was as if the mountain range moved one step further away each time we took one step forward.

I felt puzzled, but thinking about it, there was no need to be.

-It’s useless. I’m not good-natured enough to let those who wrecked my home leave unscathed.

As I said before, for a being who can move this entire area at will like a playground,

-Nngh…!! I’m more tired than when I sent that faint spiritual fragment to the eastern continent, but I can’t neglect what needs to be done just because I’m tired.

It wasn’t strange to think that she was just waking up, stretching, and getting ready to play with me.

Sensing that the situation was not good, Imperfectio turned her steps from our destination toward me.

For whatever reason, she seemed to be approaching to help me escape safely, but,

It seems a bit too late.

SNAP-!!

A clear, resonant sound—the kind that often accompanies the flick of a finger by a transcendent being with overwhelming power and authority using just a fraction of their strength—echoed lucidly in my mind.

As my vision turned white in the dark space and my consciousness began to fade, all I could hear was…

“Kal…!!”

The voice of Imperfectio, who had only subtly revealed her emotions since our first meeting, now calling out with incomparable urgency and desperation.