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Chapter 91 - Intruder
Suppressing the rising excitement and being careful not to be noticed, I resisted the immediate urge to attack from behind. We kept a distance to not lose sight of Levia.
"Hey, is she really from Taltus' army?"
"Yeah, I fought her before, got my arm blown away. Beato immediately healed it, though."
"Arm...!? W-Well, if you treat it right away, it might heal... maybe."
Having your arm reattached was indeed surprising. However, it's impossible to reattach it if a long time has passed. It depends on what's going on with Kanata-san's arm, but I don't think Beato will be able to help much...
"...Sorry, I made a strange noise. I hope she didn't notice."
"It seems fine."
Levia walked briskly down the corridor without glancing at us. She seemed genuinely uninterested in others. Still, she inexplicably held a grudge against me and thought that killing me will bring her closer to avenging her sister.
What was it again? If she kills me, she gets one step closer to avenging her sister. I don't really understand the logic behind it.
"...Huh!? W-What...?"
In the blink of an eye, Levia suddenly disappeared.
"Toka, where did she...?"
Despite the straight corridor and the fact that she was walking normally, her figure was nowhere to be found, as if she never existed in the first place.
"Toka couldn't see her either, huh?"
She couldn't see her either. There's only one possibility for what just happened.
"...That was probably Levia using her [Gift] ability. She must have used the power of rapid movement."
"...So, does that mean the enemy noticed we were tailing them?"
"I don't think she noticed. She probably intended to use rapid movement from the beginning, so she walked without caring about her surroundings."
Now, this is troublesome. We've completely lost sight of Levia. What should we do about this...?
"Why the serious face?"
"Ouch!"
As I was lost in thought, Toka lightly tapped my back.
"W-Well, we lost sight of her..."
"Lost sight of her? If she can use rapid movement, why would she leisurely walk down the corridor?"
"That's because she can only move short distances with it."
Even when we fought in the capital, the rapid movement lasted only a moment. If she could move rapidly at will, I'd probably be six feet under by now.
"Exactly, you answered your own question."
Oh, right. If she can only move short distances, this must be near the chapel. Levia should have just created the hidden staircase in the chapel.
"Hurry, we might still make it!"
No time to linger here. Since we already knew the location thanks to Beato, we just dashed towards the chapel.
Quietly opening the chapel door, we glanced inside. No one's there; it's a slightly eerie dimly lit sanctuary. Levia was also nowhere to be seen.
Toka and I exchanged nods and headed towards the altar at the back, behind which the hidden staircase should be.
"...No, it's too late."
At that moment, the floor silently slid shut, sealing the staircase. It's inconvenient, but we would have to find and disable the mechanism.
"That's why it's too early to give up."
Even in times like this, Toka remained calm. She threw sand iron from the backpack she's carrying into the narrow gap where the sliding floor was trying to close. She then transformed the sand iron into a mini-golem, using it as a makeshift wedge. It splendidly stopped the sliding floor.
"It might be a bit uncomfortable, but bear with it."
Since there's no sand iron indoors, bringing some in the backpack proved useful. However, the struggling mini-golem caught in the gap looked a bit pitiful...
"Nice one, Toka. As expected from someone older than me, I can rely on you."
"Right? You can depend on your big sister even more, you know?"
Toka smiled and raised her thumb. I was still worried about Beato, but it's good that she came with us, isn't it?
"I'm counting on you. Now, let's get serious."
To avoid running into Levia head-on, we waited for a moment, then forcibly pried open the half-closed sliding floor, and made our way to the stairs. We're about to infiltrate Paladis's darkness.
Descending the dim staircase, we reached the hidden basement floor. We cautiously peeked around to see if anyone is present.
"Alright, no one's here. But what's this?"
I imagined the underground of the Grand Temple to be like a torch-lit stone corridor, but it's completely different. It's a corridor with beautiful walls in a light green shade and a sparkling floor like marble. Mysterious lighting, different from lamps, brightly illuminates the corridor.
"Toka, have you ever seen anything like this?"
"Nope. But nothing surprises me anymore."
That's true. This is the most suspicious place in Paladis, where anything could happen.
"...Let's go."
Since no one came even after we waited for a while, we carefully started moving, suppressing our footsteps.
We silently moved away from the entrance, searching for a room where we can hide for the time being. However, there were only smooth walls, and doors were nowhere to be found. Occasionally, there were plates attached to the walls.
"Hey, Kyrie, isn't it too empty here?"
It does feel a bit strange. Is this really the location?
"It is a bit unsettling, but for now, let's find a hiding place before we get discovered—"
"Intruders!! Chase them!!"
Suddenly, a loud voice echoed through. Someone rushed past us at an incredible speed.
"...What was that just now?"
Could it be that the intruder is not referring to us?
"There they are!"
"They turned that corner! Catch them this time!"
Just as I suspected. However, if we stayed here, we'd definitely be found. Toka and I nodded at each other and started running toward the direction where someone escaped earlier.
"Golems, come!"
To conceal our fleeing figures, Toka lined up three golems. Nice move again. Not only can golems serve as barricades or buy us time, but since the golems were considered to belong to Taltus Army's Blum, they should also create chaos.
"What are these things!"
"Could it be magic-operated golems!? Why are they here...!"
The pursuers who came running down the corridor were predictably confused. Soon after, it seemed like a battle has started.
"I set them to fight automatically, so they should keep fighting until they break."
"I really appreciate you helping us again."
As a senior in infiltration, it's about time for me to show my skills.
Now, we're running toward the direction where the intruder escaped. However, at the end of the pursuit, we found ourselves in a dead-end alley. No sign of the intruder. I thought if we chased them, we could catch up and get some information.
"What should we do... Toka, any ideas?"
"Well, we might have to melt the wall, don't you think?"
"Bold move, but I guess we have no choice."
Alright, if that's the only option—
"Hey, if you two keep dawdling there, you'll be found, you know?"
Oh no!? The wall slid, and a hand reached out from the gap!?
"Don't just stand there, hurry up!"
A man's voice and a beckoning gesture. It's the intruder from earlier.
Remaining vigilant and ready to counter at any moment, Toka and I entered the room as the intruder securely closed the door.
The door was designed to blend seamlessly with the wall. Come to think of it, there were plates scattered throughout the corridor. It seemed that those plates were markers for the doors.
"First, let me express my gratitude. You saved us, miss."
The intruder is a tall man with short bluish hair, and he has two swords, a long one and a short one, at his waist.
"Wait... Leader...?"
No doubt about it, it's the leader. I heard he was dead, so why is he here of all places?
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