“These are all the emergency drawings I have for now.”
A horse, painted as if it were about to run away. A group of frogs and monkeys, drawn to tease annoying people. A brick house that was drawn in great detail to be used in case of disaster. I’ve already used up all of the black birds that can attack and defend at the same time.
“That’s enough. I can wield the sword with my left hand.”
“… If only Cat was here, he would have been a big help.”
Or if I hadn’t sent Daphne away.
However, regret is of no use. I stood up with Lacius. Seeing that the once-white bandage was turning red by the minute, it seemed like the wound was far from minor. It seemed to be worsening, yet there’s nothing I can do about it.
We needed to get out of this damn place to heal it, so I scanned the temple with a wary eye, wondering if there was a way out somewhere. Usually, there are secret passages in places like this.
“Lashin, that… looks like a scale.”
After circling the altar and coming to a stop, I casually looked up and noticed something. In the centre of the partially destroyed roof, the embossed thing inside the round circle is undoubtedly a scale. It was also a scale that looked like something I had seen before. But before I could examine it further—
Bleep! A deafening, eerie sound shook the space. It was as if an electronic device had malfunctioned, creating a high-pitched, ear-splitting noise. Frowning and covering my ears, I turned to see people appearing from a different direction than the one we had come in.
“That’s amazing. To kill Giogio in one swing of your sword.”
“… …!”
“Though I didn’t expect you’d let him kill him; after all, you grew close to him.”
A group of people with bird-shaped masks on their faces stood before us. The person who spoke to me in a friendly manner seemed to be in his 50s, judging by his voice. Unlike other people, he was wearing a crown on his head, and it looked very comical. The bird-masked man with the crown continued, rubbing his hands together.
“We were worried you might arrive before we found this place. But now we can relax since we arrived simultaneously.”
His words were loaded with hidden meanings. I took out the magic pen, held it in my hand, and asked roughly.
“What is this place?”
“Are you pretending not to know? Or have you lost your memory?”
“…Where is this place?”
God, this was driving me insane. One specific name kept circling in my head, but I couldn’t believe it. Could it really be?
“It seems my special pet has indeed lost her memory. Isn’t that right, 782?”
The crowned bird-masked man raised his hand in a dignified manner. Then a woman was dragged out, tied tightly to her leash, with a dog collar around her neck. The woman, with her hair completely tangled and dressed in rags, glared at me.
“How could you betray us? How could you!”
“… …?”
“Some of us sacrificed ourselves to let you escape, you shameless bitch!”
I had always imagined that there might be a day when I’d face such bewildering accusations. But I never thought it would be under such dire circumstances. Moreover, while I felt ridiculous, the other person seemed genuinely frustrated and sad.
‘Ah.’
It’s all just an assumption, but a certain picture popped into my head. From the beginning of all of this to the present, the words of the fake Kun Geisha quickly flashed through my mind. I finally opened my mouth and asked.
“Is this paradise?”
Then the crowned bird, presumably from Fata-Morgana, laughed.
“Hahaha, this is truly a masterpiece. A masterpiece. I can’t believe it. The person you all put your hopes on so much remembers nothing.
“HIiikk… …!”
“Originally, I was going to show you how number 782, who was the closest to you, will be dealt with, but I guess that’s not necessary. In fact, I like it more now that you’ve lost your memory—Ugh!”
What is he saying now? I gritted my teeth and stomped on the rolling crown.
Boom! The huge brick house I summoned crushed the crowned bird. The attack was made before he could even finish his sentence. But there’s no law that says you can only attack with a weapon, right? And I wasn’t a righteous protagonist who will wait for the villain to finish monologuing.
“… still as monstrous in your creativity.”
I raised an eyebrow at the blue bird mask that stepped forward to take the place of the crowned bird.
“You must be Fata-Morgana, right?”
“It seems we’ll need to re-educate you from scratch. You’ve grown quite insolent.”
“Spare me the jokes. So, are you the one in charge of the abuse?”
The tension was so thick that letting go of one end would send us both tumbling backward.
The blue bird mask gestured to the people behind him. Dozens of painting wizards, chained at the wrists and ankles, emerged with gloomy expressions. Some glared at me or wept softly, but most kept their heads bowed.
“Lashin, do you think we can take them all without killing them?”
“Just knocking them out…”
“Yeah, that’s harder, right?”
“But they are the people you knew in the past, arent they? It’s inevitable that they will get hurt to some extent, but I think it will be possible to keep them alive.”
“Yes, and there must be another way out aside from the way we came in.”
While the painting wizards were preparing something, Lacius and I moved further inside the altar for better defence.
Clang! Bang! I grabbed the stone altar, and it crashed to the floor. At almost the same time, skeleton soldiers appeared.
“Such petty tricks.”
With a single swing of Lacius’s sword, the white bones fell with a clatter. In the next second, dozens of spears were launched from the air, but Lacius easily blocked them. After that, a third and fourth wave followed, all of which he defended without faltering. Meanwhile, I quickly drew something for an attack on the smooth altar.
‘Small, fast, and aggressive… … !’
Maybe it’s my lack of creativity, but it’s the only thing that comes to mind.
‘Taste the power of Master Roach!’
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