Chapter 90
"Urgh... I'm dying here."
A worm... no, Luna approached while patting her shoulder.
It was a natural consequence since she had been swinging her sword like a madman even as we talked.
"How about it? I've gotten stronger than before, haven't I?"
"Keke, the sight of a worm wriggling about. I watched it very well."
"...I wasn't asking you. I was asking Caron, you know?"
So, you're talking back to the teacher? Even to Caron, the Killing Machine?
No matter how much Caron might favor you, that's crossing the line.
Luna's face might turn into a pancake.
"...You've improved a lot. If you keep working hard, you'll get even better."
Ah, so it's like that. He's not even trying to hide that he's a guardian anymore?
If I had wriggled around like a worm, he would have squashed me instantly.
"Did you hear that?"
Luna nudged me with her elbow, insisting that her skills had improved significantly, a fact.
'It seems Luna doesn't notice anything odd at all.'
It's amazing she can live being so oblivious.
I wish Caron would protect someone as fragile as me, like he does with Luna.
'I wonder if Caron would take care of me if I also had twin tails like Luna?'
That thought crossed my mind when suddenly,
Sniff sniff.
Luna started sniffing around.
Her nose led her to,
Thump.
Caron's embrace.
"What, what's this?"
"Just a moment. Stay still for a second."
Luna began sniffing around Caron, then slightly frowned.
"This scent... I've definitely smelled it somewhere before... but I can't remember where."
Caron stiffened up.
It's understandable, given Luna had approached him out of nowhere.
'She's been doing this since before.'
I also tried smelling a few times after Luna mentioned it but couldn't detect any scent from Caron.
It doesn't make sense for Caron to emit any scent.
'He needs to operate covertly.'
Stalking and tracking are part of his daily routine, and blending in is essential.
For someone like him to have a scent? It's impossible.
Luna's mistake was clear.
"Caron, have we met before?"
"...No."
"Right, that would make sense. But why does this scent feel so familiar? Strange..."
You're stranger, Luna. Most people remember faces first, not scents. What are you, an animal?
"Enough for now. Head in when you're ready."
Caron pushed Luna slightly aside and left the training ground.
It felt somewhat like he was escaping, or was that just my imagination?
'There might be something to dig into here.'
While Luna continued to sniff around, I asked her,
"Keke, I don't smell anything, though."
"Hmm, is that so? Maybe I was mistaken..."
"Could you describe what the scent was like?"
"What kind of scent? Umm... it's hard to put into words. It's not a scent I'm familiar with."
"Abstractly is fine. Just try to describe what comes to mind."
Luna closed her eyes, trying to find the right words.
After focusing for a bit, she slowly opened her mouth.
"It's a warm, nostalgic scent. That much is clear."
Asking for an abstract description and actually getting one.
This mischief-maker is one of a kind.
"Keke, a warm scent? That's not a scent."
"You told me to describe it abstractly, didn't you?"
"I meant something similar... But I guess that was my mistake. I should have adjusted to your level of understanding."
"..."
Suddenly, I felt a presence behind me.
Turning around, there stood Rezé, gently tugging at my clothes.
"Keke, Rezé, what's the matter?"
"It's, it's strange here. We, we need to leave. I've started feeling something terrible is going to happen."
Rezé's hair twirled wildly atop her head.
She possesses an A-grade skill called [Crisis Detection].
So, it's unlikely she's lying.
The issue is my [Hyper Sense] hasn't reacted.
"Hmm, this is strange. Could there be a natural disaster approaching?"
As far as I know, there's no such storyline.
While pondering whether Rezé might be mistaken,
Rezé, looking at what's behind me, panicked and dove headfirst into the box, trembling.
"Hiik! We're, we're going to die! We need to hide!"
Suddenly a life-threatening situation arises?
That's unlikely. Unless an demon decides to ambush us...
Turning around, I realized the truth.
A demon was standing there. A demon named Luna.
Crack-.
"Lu, Luna? Why suddenly like this?"
"...Could it be that your ignorance is your sin?"
Luna, transformed into a demon, started gnawing at my head.
"Die! Die!"
"Aaaaah!!"
"Please, save me!"
At the point just before the last chapter,
I have a sometimes demon-like cat and a trembling rabbit with its head buried in a box.
This was the current strength of my party.
* * *
A day had passed.
Time seemed to fly by even faster than when I first entered the game, especially lately.
'There's only one day left.'
Tomorrow is the day to confront Lérang.
I wasn't nervous.
I knew it wouldn't be a life-threatening fight.
'Lérang is just the boss of Chapter 1, after all.'
Let's compare the demon's shard and Lérang for a moment.
Though not a boss monster, the demon's shard is far more challenging in terms of simple difficulty. Facing an opponent in a state without any abilities, with a gimmick of cumulative death in 3 turns, makes it much tougher.
'Normally, you wouldn't be able to confront such a being until after Chapter 3.'
Compared to that, Lérang is just the boss of Chapter 1.
There are no special gimmicks to speak of.
Depending on the secret techniques he uses, you might have to move left or right, or up or down, that's about it?
Being the boss of Chapter 1, he's been thoroughly analyzed by veterans to the point of being disassembled.
Knowing all the secret techniques Lérang uses, I have nothing to worry about.
I'm also much higher level than Lérang.
That's right. There's no problem in winning the fight.
The current problem is.
'The lack of information about repentance.'
To receive a special reward, he must be made to repent before his death, but with the information I currently have, that's impossible.
'I've obtained some information from Rodelin and Caron, but...'
The puzzle pieces are incomplete. I'm missing pieces of the character Lérang.
'Should I visit Elester for advice? But attracting suspicion would be just as problematic. Wait a minute...'
Suddenly, a crazy idea popped into my head.
Why not just ask Lérang directly?
He won't draw his demonic sword in the presence of others.
Even if he harbors ill feelings towards me, it won't matter.
After all, we'll be aiming for each other's throats in tomorrow's battle.
'I'm so smart, aren't I?'
Humming to myself, I left the dormitory.
* * *
Morning classes flew by quickly, and after finishing lunch, it was time to visit Lérang as planned.
However, I was facing an unexpected problem.
"Keke, Luna?"
"Huh? What?"
"...What's going on right now?"
Clank-.
The sound of metal echoed from my wrist.
The chains that bound our wrists together clicked as they interlocked.
What's peculiar is that the sound came not just from me, but also from Luna and Rezé.
That's right. Currently, we were all chained together.
Naturally, Luna was the culprit.
"Ah, I have to make friends for Rezé, remember? So that's why. It might be a bit inconvenient, but please cooperate."
Making friends for Rezé, and chains binding our wrists together.
How do these two even relate?
To an ordinary person like me, it was an incomprehensible act.
"Showing them having fun might naturally attract others, right? That's why I tried tying us together. Why, is it not good?"
Yes, it's not good. Very much so.
It feels like being restrained, doesn't it? Like a symbol that once you come here, you can never escape.
Surely, Rezé must think the same.
"Actually, it seems like a good idea. Being this close makes us seem... friendly..."
Ah, I see. You're not normal either?
This won't do. Not just for finding Lérang, but for the sake of my normal life, I need to escape from here.
Immediately!
"Keke, I have something to do... this is problematic."
"We can go together, can't we? Where do you need to go?"
Clank- clank-.
With each step we took, the sound of metal echoed around us.
If Lérang sees us like this, he might get scared and run away.
No matter how I think about it, going together is impossible.
"Keke, did you forget the promise you made? You have to take Rezé for a walk."
"Huh? I can do that later."
"Didn't you skip it yesterday because you were too tired from training? You have to make up for it."
"Are you going to be petty about this?"
"Take a walk and slowly explore the academy. It could be an opportunity to find friends for Rezé."
"Then you should come along too."
I flicked my fingers as I spoke.
"Keke, if I'm there, any child willing to approach would surely keep their distance."
"...Well, that might be true. I'd reject those who judge people by their looks anyway."
I'm known as a symbol of misfortune, the slit-eyed character.
The effect of my skill, [Ominous Aura], cannot be ignored.
'Of course, seeing Luna and Rezéchained together, any kids would run far away.'
Luna and Rezé, restrained by chains, seemed set to compete against my various debuffs.
"Making friends for Rezé is important, yes. But I don't want to abandon you because of that..."
"Keke, you've come up with a good idea, haven't you? It would be a shame to waste this opportunity. And it's true I have something to do."
After pondering for a moment, Luna spoke up.
"Alright then. Can't be helped if you have something to do..."
Reluctantly, Luna unchained us.
The old Luna would have clung to me without giving up.
'She's improved a bit since that incident.'
After insisting on some personal space for Luna by making friends, she seemed to have a moment of realization. Since then, she's occasionally given me some personal time.
About 10 minutes a day?
This is a significant improvement. In the past, she'd even follow me to the bathroom.
'She'll continue to improve.'
Luna will grow into a very fine person who can live without me.
Doesn't that just make her a normal person, not a fine one?
...To think someone could say that after seeing Luna chain us together.
Are you serious?
Anyway, the chains that bound my wrists were gone.
Zero is free!
I wanted to shout, "Zero is now free!" but I restrained myself.
If I did, those chains might end up around my neck.
Even Luna wouldn't go that far, right?
"Hmm, there are chains left. Should I put them around your neck too?"
Luna seriously contemplated the remaining chains in her hand.
Luna, that would transform the walk into a completely different kind of walk (?), possibly even causing the world to collapse from censorship.
"Keke, I'll take the remaining chains. They're mine, after all."
"Hm, okay. But don't lose them, alright? You'll need to wear them again when you come back."
And so, I managed to save a world from the brink of censorship.
--TL Notes--
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