episode_0143

Zeke and Aria’s Atmosphere

“This damned Snow Woman! How dare you take Zeke-nim into a room alone… and do such a thing right in front of me?! I won’t let you get away with this!”

“Uh… couldn’t you cut me some slack…? I didn’t do anything to Zeke…”

“This alluring Snow Woman! How dare you make excuses?! To brazenly do such a thing in front of me… your guts must have flown straight to heaven! A strike befitting that audacity!”

“Uwaaah! Aria! I told you to calm down! Nothing really happened!”

“How many times do I have to tell you this isn’t the time, Aria!”

As Yuria opened the door and came out, Aria became incredibly enraged, even abandoning polite speech, and declared that she would surely kill Yuria. Launcher-nim and I held Aria back with all our might. But as Aria tried to push away the strength of two sturdy adult men, Launcher-nim said, greatly flustered.

“Kuh… Keuk…! As expected of Aria… she’s trying to overwhelm us both with her superior physical abilities! Even my strength, built through countless fights and training in another world…!”

“Uwaaaah! The test subjects will get here first at this rate! D-Dio V Runner-nim! Please take Yuria and Tiavel and go somewhere else for now! I’ll… I’ll stop Aria somehow until then!”

“C-Can you do it, Zeke?! If you can’t stop her…!”

When I told Dio V Runner-nim to quickly take Yuria and Tiavel and leave this place while I held Aria back, he asked if I could do it. So, I unleashed demonic energy, magic power, from my entire body like ropes, wrapping Aria in them. As I completely restrained Aria, Launcher-nim seemed to trust me somewhat. He moved away from Aria, grabbing Yuria’s arm, and said.

“Then I’ll leave it to you! As we decided earlier, you and Aria will handle the researchers! I’ll hold back the Saintess and the priests with Yuria!”

“Zeke! Be careful!”

“I’m fighting right now because of you! Hurry and go before Aria’s anger grows even more, Yuriaaaah!”

As Dio V Runner-nim’s power disappeared, Aria gradually tried to overwhelm even my strength. I desperately shouted for Yuria, who was worrying about me, to go quickly. Yuria was then led by Dio V Runner-nim’s hand and hurriedly left the spot. Once Yuria disappeared, Aria began to relax her power. Phew… good thing… it wasn’t too late. A bloodbath almost happened…

“Hehehe… as I thought~ I knew everyone would try to escape quickly if I did this, didn’t I~?”

“….? Aria… you… you mean you… ”

“Uhihihi…”

Aria suddenly smiled brightly and said that this was the only way everyone would hurry and leave. Only then did I realize Aria’s true intentions. Aria had deliberately reacted so intensely just to be alone with me…! I had forgotten… that Aria always schemes when it comes to things related to me…!

“Hehehe… it was a bit too much, but… honestly, I really was angry. Then I thought that if I did this, everyone would leave this place. Plus… uhehehe… since Zeke-nim embraced me so fiercely, I had an even stronger desire to overdo it… uhehehehehe… it’s a feeling I haven’t experienced in a long time, so I feel like I could just die from ecstasy~!”

“…. Hey… I was genuinely flustered and even unleashed magic power, isn’t it too much to trick me too…?”

“I’m sorry, but… hehehehe… I couldn’t help it~! Everyone would have definitely kept talking there~ It’s hard to drive them out unless I go this far~”

When Aria replied, as I expected, that she couldn’t drive out Dio V Runner and Yuria without going this far, I sighed deeply, beyond just being serious. What if she threatened their lives…? But resigned to the fact that what was done was done, even if I regretted it now, I simply took Aria’s hand and moved forward. But… why had Yuria asked that question? While I was at a loss as to why Yuria had asked me that question just now, Dio V Runner was heading towards the entrance of the biological laboratory passage with Yuria and asked her.

“So… why did you boldly drag Zeke into another room in front of Aria earlier? Even I would have been too scared to do something like that…”

“Well, it’s… I thought the Saintess shouldn’t know. If the Saintess heard this, I had a feeling she would react fiercely… But I didn’t realize Zeke would be so clueless.”

“What exactly did you see, and what did you ask Zeke, Yuria?”

As Yuria expressed her puzzlement, saying Zeke was clueless even to her, Dio V Runner was flustered, unable to grasp the meaning of Yuria’s words, and questioned her. In response to Dio V Runner’s question, Yuria herself looked puzzled, then looked at Tiavel, who was holding her hand, and then at Dio V Runner, and spoke.

“What? Tiavel noticed it right away, just like me, but you, who’s been with Zeke longer than us, didn’t notice it at all?”

“How can I notice something if I don’t know what it is, Yuria. So what did you two notice about Zeke?”

“Hmmm… you really don’t seem to know… Hey, Launcher-nim. You know, Zeke… doesn’t the atmosphere between him and Aria feel better than before?”

When Yuria said that the atmosphere between Zeke and Aria seemed better than before, Dio V Runner began to ponder deeply. But no matter how much he thought, he couldn’t tell if their atmosphere had improved, so he shook his head and replied to Yuria.

“Better? Well… I can’t tell. I only feel that the atmosphere between Zeke and Aria now is no different from when I first met them.”

“Hmmm… it’s just that I feel like Zeke has been putting up with all of Aria’s antics lately. Before, he said he was asexual and wasn’t interested in love or anything… But lately, as I’ve started reawakening my emotions, I’ve noticed it. Those reactions of Zeke’s… are they the reactions an asexual person shows?”

“…. I wouldn’t know about that. Zeke has such a kind nature that it might just be reactions stemming from his good heart.”

As Yuria claimed that, perhaps due to her emotions starting to reawaken, she felt the atmosphere between Zeke and Aria had improved, and Zeke’s reactions, despite being asexual, seemed somewhat different, Dio V Runner shook his head and said to Yuria.

“For now, let’s worry about that later. We need to go deal with the Saintess and the priests. We wasted a lot of time talking earlier. They might have already prepared countermeasures against us…”

“Ah, that’s certainly true. Then, for now… shall we go deal with the Saintess and the priests we’ve been fighting to exhaustion?”

“Yes… but what’s the scale of those guys, anyway? We’ve fought at least forty Saintesses and priests so far… I have no idea where they’ve cultivated so many of them.”

“That’s… well, let’s think about that after we get out of here.”

“Good. And make sure to protect that child named Tiavel, Yuria.”

As various sounds drifted from afar, Dio V Runner and Yuria surmised that other living beings were fighting each other in the vicinity and took a combat stance. While Dio V Runner and Yuria prepared to face enemies at the entrance, I continued deeper inside, guided by Aria. Then, Aria, who had been looking around using her detection ability, clenched her teeth, seemingly frustrated that things weren’t going as she expected, and spoke to me.

“Tch… whether it’s because of these walls or the sphere of heaven’s light outside, I can’t see what’s beyond the walls. At least I can detect what this inner passage looks like… but it’s structured like a maze, so I don’t know where the center is, or where that researcher might be.”

“In that case… there’s only one way, right, Aria?”

“…. Hehehe… Zeke-nim had the same thought, didn’t you? Why don’t you just admit it? Zeke-nim and I are…”

“Of one mind? Yes, well. I guess I have no choice but to admit it a little!”

When Aria said that this passage was structured like a maze, making it difficult to find the way to the center and the likely location of the researcher, I had the same thought as Aria. And as Aria suggested, acknowledging that we were somewhat connected, I formed tentacle-like magic power from my hand, and Aria began to emit light from her staff. If there are many rooms and it’s a maze-like structure… there’s only one way!

“We’ll investigate all the surrounding rooms at once! Go, demonic energy!”

“Almighty one! Drive away this darkness with light and grant us a path!”

I opened the doors on both sides with tentacles unleashed from both my hands, and Aria illuminated the surroundings by emitting light from her staff. Having confirmed that there was nothing but tools and machinery in the surrounding rooms, we continued to advance, easily searching the nearby rooms in the same manner.

“This is really convenient?! I should have explored like this from the start!”

“But then why didn’t you explore this way earlier?”

“Honestly, I was a little scared since I had no idea what might be in here. But now that I generally know what’s here, I’m not scared at all! Let’s go quickly, Aria! There must be a control room for this entire facility here too… Huh?!”

“Graaaaah!”

As I quickly searched rooms and advanced, I opened a door and realized, seeing test subjects burst out of the room and suddenly try to pounce on me. Ah… that’s right, things like this could pop out of rooms… But even this is no worry. Because Aria, who is faster than anyone, is in front of me! And just as I expected, as soon as Aria heard a beast roaring beside me, she swung her staff, striking the test subject hard and knocking it unconscious.

“Hmph…! How dare it try to attack Zeke-nim… By the way, Zeke-nim! Why didn’t you dodge?”

“Because I trusted you. I knew you would handle it.”

“Ze… Zeke-nim…”

When Aria, who had knocked out the test subject in one blow, asked me why I hadn’t dodged, I replied that of course, I trusted her. Aria, seemingly satisfied with my answer, grinned widely and swayed her hips, clearly delighted.

“Oh my~ Zeke-nim~ To confess in a place like this~ Truly, only Zeke-nim understands Aria’s heart so well~.”

“…. It’s not quite a confession yet… but… if you like it, that’s fine…”

“Hehehe… But I can’t forgive you, Researcher, for secretly watching this scene…!”

“Huh…?”

As Aria’s expression, which had been so pleased by my trust, suddenly changed, I was greatly flustered. And at that moment, Aria suddenly declared she couldn’t forgive the researcher, then turned around and seemed to gather light in her staff. I was even more bewildered by Aria’s new attack method. Then, recalling Aria’s words from just now, I finally realized what Aria had discovered.

“Wh-what are you trying to do, Aria?! W-wait… secretly? C-could it be that around here…”

“Oh, one in the heavens! By your power, I shall exterminate the heretics! Grant me the will of extermination!”

“….!!! Wha… what?!”

After gathering a certain amount of light and finishing her prayer, Aria swung her staff. Numerous light bullets erupted from the tip of the staff. When they made contact with the corners where the walls and ceiling met, they immediately began to explode. I was certain of what Aria had been aiming for. Ah…! The cameras Dio V Runner-nim mentioned!

“Hmph…! How dare they peek at Zeke-nim and my precious time… Hmph! They’re nothing but perverts!”

“…. Hey… do you think it made sense when you filmed my naked body before?”

When Aria treated the researcher who was watching us as a pervert, I mentioned that Aria had filmed me naked before. Aria couldn’t answer that and her face immediately turned red, then she shrieked at me in horror.

“U-Uwaaaaaah! Th-that was something we moved past, wasn’t it, Zeke-nim?!”

“…. Do you think I can just move past that, you?!”

“Th-then I’ll show you my naked body…!”

“….!! D-don’t do it, let’s just go quickly!”

As Aria’s hand began to move towards her clothes again, saying that since she had seen my naked body, she would now show me hers, I became greatly flustered and shouted at Aria to hurry and go. Aria then stuck out her tongue, giggled, and immediately took my hand, beginning to search the surroundings as she had before. Then, recalling that Aria had just broken the cameras, I asked her.

“But how did you know about the cameras just now?”

“I saw them all earlier. But hehehe… I was just so excited that Zeke-nim and I were of one mind that I forgot. I apologize.”

“Right, well… it’s fortunate you realized it belatedly. With this, the opponent will know that we can figure out where their eyes are… Aria. So, shall we run again?”

“Yes! And at the same time, we’ll break the cameras, right!?”

“Yes! Let’s go! We will definitely reach where that researcher is!”

The awkward atmosphere from just now was brief. When I reignited my fighting spirit and suggested we run together, Aria agreed and asked if she should break the cameras as she had just done. I replied yes, and then, running alongside Aria, I began searching the surrounding rooms again. Simultaneously, using my magic tentacles, and Aria emitting light bullets from her staff, we began to destroy every single camera in the vicinity, and Stein, who was watching this, was greatly flustered.

“This can’t be…!! I thought only that otherworldly person had noticed my cameras, but this… a subminiature camera was detected by a dimension so technologically backward…?”

“Heh… hehe… See? You’re underestimating their abilities because of your arrogance… After all, you, who’ve been hiding here to avoid the Saintess and the priests… what makes you think you’re so great that you can look down on them?”

“Shut up! XMC-034! I haven’t lost yet… It seems those outside have enemies to fight amongst themselves… It’s nearly impossible for them to unite and come to defeat me! So it’s not over yet… No matter how strong that Black Saintess I saw on the screen is… she will never be able to defeat my strongest failed experiment…!”

Stein, who was flustered not only by Aria easily defeating the test subject but also by her completely seeing through and destroying all his subminiature cameras, did not lose his composure despite the test subject girl’s taunts. Stein, on the contrary, grasped that Zeke’s party currently had to fight the Saintess and the priests as well, and he knew well that there was still a chance of victory. Thus, in Revalude, Zeke’s party, the Saintess and the priests, the test subjects, and the last remaining researcher began a battle to claim this place.