The reason I keep running into people I never saw in the original story must be because I’ve twisted the plot so much, right?
Honestly, it’s a bit frustrating.
Sure, I did a few things behind the scenes, but I didn’t twist the narrative to the point where a completely new protagonist emerged like in other isekai stories, nor did I even go after the heroines.
Well, I can understand the Emperor coming. I probably looked quite capable, so it wouldn’t be surprising if the Emperor decided to act himself to help his talented daughter…
And Rena… well, considering the chaos I caused on the Northern Front, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to think she was sent to keep an eye on me.
But what about that guy?
No matter how perceptive the Papal State is, they shouldn’t have noticed instantly that Berati was captured and spilling secrets. Northwood is a territory deep within the Empire, and it’s not the kind of place you could reach in one night from the Papal State.
Even if you’re driving a car, the road to the Papal State isn’t perfectly maintained, and there’s no train heading there at this hour.
Even if they did realize some information was leaked, it would take a long time for reinforcements to arrive… and in order to enter here, they would need permission.
But there was no bright light emanating from the guy’s clothes.
“I’ve actually been trying to have a conversation here since a while ago, but you just stand there, huh?”
The Emperor said with a relaxed demeanor.
“……”
I shot a side glance at the Emperor, but whether he had no information himself or just didn’t want to share with me, he simply shrugged.
“However, there is one thing that’s certain.”
The Emperor said while quietly observing the mysterious woman.
“The guardian should’ve been inside the ruins, but it has already fallen into the hands of the author. Unless we defeat and reclaim it, I don’t think it will come into our hands.”
So, were they waiting for me to come this far? Blocking the door like this?
If that author’s goal was to take the guardian of the ruins, then they could’ve simply fled without confronting the Emperor.
…But if that were the case, it was peculiar that they stood there waiting until we arrived.
“……”
I stepped forward.
That guy was still standing there, not moving at all. Is he even alive? I almost wondered if the Emperor was just playing tricks on us by leaving a statue standing still.
As I took a step forward, the others behind me also took a step forward, spreading out a bit to encompass the target. Sure, there were still gaps between us, but…
The first to move was Bella.
She instantaneously shaped her long sword into a whip and swung it down as if to punish a criminal. The whip itself was already a torturous weapon that inflicted horrific pain, but this was even worse. A simple slash would tear flesh apart and expose bone.
And at that moment, the still motionless opponent also moved.
Directly forward.
Towards me, looking straight at me.
“Sylvia…!”
Alice shouted instinctively. I could hear Claire rushing in from where she stood.
But I—
—I didn’t want to just stand there—
No way.
At the moment I aimed my loaded shotgun at him, a voice echoed in my head.
No, it wasn’t just a voice. More like my instincts seized my movements and stopped me.
Don’t shoot.
If I shoot that person, I would definitely—
Regret it.
“……!”
I felt a chill run down my spine. My finger, which was resting on the trigger, twitched uncontrollably. It felt as if someone was gripping my finger and pulling it in the opposite direction.
It felt like my movement itself was being rejected.
“Sis, don’t…!”
Seeing that the opponent was rushing towards me, Claire swung her sword. The sword’s spirit followed behind like a whip. Just a beat slower than Claire’s swing, the sword spirit—
Was supposed to reach that robed figure—
Did it?
*
What on earth just happened?
Claire surely swung her sword, and the sword spirit, her signature move, should have hit that guy’s arm.
It was supposed to connect. There shouldn’t have been any time to dodge. My reflexes were sharp enough to see it clearly.
Yet, the sword spirit did not make contact.
“Uh…?”
Claire’s voice sounded confused.
I could feel my shotgun being pushed back. The barrel was touching that guy’s abdomen. Not just touching, but his stomach was pressing towards my gun like it was trying to hug it.
His strength was greater than mine. My arm was pushed back, and even the arm holding the gun was being forced downward.
But, despite that, my fingers remained still.
No, even that seemed dangerous, as my index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and pinky all started to slip off the grip one after another.
I completely dropped my gun. It was as if he was trying to pull me in, although of course, it felt strange to think of it that way. That guy was still advancing towards me.
A white mask came closer to my face.
Inside the dark opening, his eyeball stared.
Whoosh, I heard the sound of slicing through the air. Was that Alice’s sword? Or Bella’s whip-like sword? I wanted to check, but my head wouldn’t turn.
The color of his eyes was shadowed and hard to see. But it was clear what glimmered inside—human eyes.
“Sylv—”
The sound stretched like the frame rate was messed up on a computer trying to force a game to run.
As if the time and space between me and him didn’t line up.
At that moment.
Before he could finish his sentence, Claire charged in my direction.
Claire body-slammed into him—
*
Once again, my vision abruptly shifted as if the frame was cut in half.
I was looking in a different direction than before. I was close enough to hear his voice clearly through the mask.
Claire hit the air. She didn’t lose her balance but made a scraping sound with her foot on the ground, clearly flustered.
“—Absolutely—”
Absolutely what…?
But before I could catch the rest of his words,
“——!”
He was thrown aside, knocked away by Alice, who rushed in from the side.
“Are you okay!?”
Before I could comprehend what was happening, Alice’s face filled my vision. It seemed I was about to topple over in his direction. Alice caught me as I was about to fall.
“Are you okay—”
But quickly, that guy reappeared behind Alice. It was as if he had floated in from thin air. The dual swords he originally held had already vanished somewhere.
Instead, he was now holding a revolver.
The same model I used.
With a few new scratches on top of the old wounds from the last fight, it looked like it had gone through the ground a few times.
But…
I hadn’t brought that today—
Before I could react, this time, a long sword slice descended from above, hitting the ceiling and walls as if to behead a criminal.
Zing, a chilling sound echoed as it scraped against the ceiling, walls, and floor, and of course, the hand that had been there fell down.
But it was as if that phenomenon itself had been canceled; he still held the gun.
I gritted my teeth.
Again!
*
Slap, and the space shattered.
My head buzzed.
As if it had hit the wall at incredible speed, my ears rang and my brain felt like it was shaking as if it would break apart.
My vision blurred. Was it tears seeping from my eyes?
Something was clenching my collar. Almost as if it were preventing me from going further inside.
A white hand gripped me and pulled me through the spatial barrier.
The boundary of that broken space was sharp, as if it were made of glass.
Even while getting cut by that glass, the arm pulled me, bleeding, but—
I must have been too heavy for that arm to hold onto.
Rip, the collar that hand held tore apart.
I fell straight down.
*
“—Bia!”
I took a deep breath. Fresh air filled my lungs, which had been deprived of oxygen for a while, lifting the fog in my vision.
I realized I was lying on someone’s lap.
As I blinked a few times, my blurred vision gradually cleared. The liquid that had gathered in my eyes flowed down sideways.
The people looked down at me with worried expressions—Alice and Claire.
Unknowingly, I reached up and touched my collar.
I felt the irregular surface of the torn fabric, as if it had been forcibly ripped apart.
…This is really real. Not a nightmare.
I tried to force myself up, but Claire firmly pressed down on my shoulder, pushing me back onto Alice’s lap.
“What about that guy?”
“He’s vanished.”
I heard the Emperor’s voice.
“As you fell.”
“What about the fight?”
“Fight, huh?”
There was amusement in the Emperor’s voice as he said that.
“Did we fight him?”
“……”
At the Emperor’s question, I found myself unable to respond.
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