Chapter 31
[The statent of Celsia Reschenhardt has been confird as “Truth”!]
[Congratulations!]
[All question opportunities have been exhausted!]
[The dialogue has ended, and you are leaving the Space of “Truth or Distrust”!]
[This record will be retained for three days only!]
Aquila retched while clutching the window fra, lacking even the strength to dismiss the notification window that had appeared.
His entire body ached from being thrown about and slamd into things, and his stomach felt even worse than that.
“Hugh… huff….”
He learned, through this experience, exactly why safety belts were necessary on flying rides.
Even though such rides did not exist in this world.
“Ugh….”
Another groan followed, this ti from sowhere other than Aquila.
Soone was gripping a sofa that was relatively intact aside from a long gash from a blade, catching her breath.
Celsia Reschenhardt, whose blonde hair was usually neatly tied up, now lay completely disheveled as she leaned back against the seat and groaned.
Their appearances were, quite frankly, beyond words.
It was impossible to tell what had happened. Their hair was hopelessly tangled, and their complexions, which had not been especially healthy to begin with, were now pale as ghosts.
Their limbs trembled uncontrollably, and their clothes looked as though they had been scraped and rolled across the ground, with ornants damaged and hems crumpled.
“Uh….”
Cahena could only blink at the current situation.
Had the young master not said that he would use the Scales of Judgnt?
Then why were they in such a state?
She was not the only one confused. The Guild of Darkness mber in the deep navy robe was also frozen in place, scanning the surroundings.
“…Lord Aquila Reschenhardt. Are you all right?”
Only Chelsey, who had gone into that other space with them and returned, hesitated before hurrying over to Aquila.
Her usually expressionless face was nowhere to be seen as she patted Aquila’s back with flustered hands.
As a diator and witness, Chelsey had directly observed what had occurred, yet even she did not fully understand what had happened in that other space.
The mont the questions began, the scales had suddenly started shaking like mad.
The movent had been no different from soone shaking the scales as though they were a toy.
‘That is impossible.’
Chelsey shook her head.
Who could possibly do such a thing?
In a space designed by the Sun God Raspalara, no less.
Aside from the shaking of the scales, the dialogue proceeded exactly as Chelsey knew it should.
Aquila asked questions, and Celsia answered.
The truth was revealed.
And the mont the dialogue announced its end, the violently shaking scales ca to a halt.
Chelsey placed her hand on Aquila’s back as he began retching again.
“It will not help with motion sickness, but….”
She carefully sent Divine Power into him.
Aquila felt a warm sensation envelop his body and slowly drew in a breath.
The pain from crashing into the floor and the transparent barrier was finally subsiding.
He felt better than before, but the nausea had not disappeared, so Aquila opened his eyes in a glare.
‘Is this why Divine Power does not work on motion sickness? Did it shake us on purpose just to tornt us ntally?’
He hurled a barrage of curses inwardly once more.
‘I knew it was insane, but until last ti it did not behave like a complete madman.’
What was different between the previous iteration and this one?
Of course, it was true that he had never outright ignored and refused it twice like this before.
‘Petty bastard….’
Aquila grabbed his own hair with both hands as if he were about to tear it out.
His head still throbbed from the lingering illusion that the ground beneath him was shaking.
“Hey… Young master? What on earth happened?”
Cahena, who had not fully sheathed her sword, hovered near Chelsey and Aquila.
“Did you not use the Scales of Judgnt?”
“I did….”
“Then why do you look like you are on the verge of death? Goodness, just look at your face. You look like a ghost. What happened—no, wait. Do not tell …?”
Cahena clenched the hilt of her sword with all her strength, her eyes widening.
“Did you perhaps fail—!”
“It succeeded.”
“Ah.”
Before Cahena could finish her sentence, Aquila cut her off sharply.
She imdiately made an awkward expression.
“It succeeded, huh? Then why are you in such a sorry state? Did you get rolled around after being hit by falling stones—!”
Having tried to joke in a drawling tone upon hearing that it succeeded, Cahena suddenly twisted her body.
At the sa instant she swung her sword—
CLANG!
“…Ghk!”
As their blades collided, a short groan escaped her mouth under the trendous force.
The Guild of Darkness mber who had been watching the situation attacked once again.
This ti, the target was not Cahena, who had been exchanging blows with him monts earlier, but Aquila.
Seeing the man ignore her and point the tip of his sword toward Aquila, Cahena’s eyes twisted sharply.
Unlike before, a lethal intent had clearly taken hold.
Screeech! Thud!
A chilling sound rang out as the blades ground against each other. When Cahena kicked out to force him back, the guild mber sprang backward.
“Goodness!”
The guild mber spoke in a playful tone.
After confirming that he had retreated, Cahena positioned herself in front of Chelsey and Aquila to shield them.
However, instead of pressing the attack, the man rely lowered the tip of his sword slightly and shrugged.
“So it succeeded! Well, well. Setting aside the fact that a noble lord knows how to forcibly use an artifact….”
The guild mber glanced sideways at Celsia behind him.
“I am still not quite sure, so tell —did you tell him the truth, beautiful lady?”
Celsia, though her entire body ached from being shaken and slamd about, did not seem to be suffering from severe motion sickness like Aquila.
She staggered but managed to rise properly.
From between her wildly tangled blonde hair, her distorted eyes shot toward Aquila.
“…Is there any need to tell such lies to soone who deserves to be cursed?”
“Ah, ah! Wrong answer, wrong answer! You cannot just say that you cast a curse! You really are a stubborn one!”
The guild mber chattered on cheerfully, though his mouth did not smile at all.
“As a result… you have made it impossible to deny it now. What do you plan to do about that? Everything is recorded in there! Would it not have been better, even for you, to simply lie and die cleanly rather than live so disgracefully?”
“The reason I allow your mouth to run free despite such insolence is because you are a faithful servant.”
“Oh my, how frightening! But I am serious, you know? I am terribly irritated because things keep happening that I did not anticipate.”
The guild mber raised his voice in a whining manner.
Despite the banter-like exchange, there was not the slightest opening to be found in the man, even as Cahena searched for one.
“Whose plan could it be! That damned saint? No, no… It was that impure bloodline that contacted them, hmm. Is that even possible? Was he really that clever?”
The guild mber muttered on, tilting his head.
There was clear contempt in his voice, but as Aquila wiped his mouth and struggled to his feet, he caught one particular phrase.
‘Impure bloodline….’
Aquila recalled soone who had spoken with a similar nuance.
The Guild of Darkness mber who had used Self-Destruction Magic.
The one who had muttered like a fanatic, insisting that Aquila had to die.
“Haa! Well, whatever. You have fallen into quite an impressive trap, and it is starting to weigh on you. What will you do now?”
“…Hmph! Even without you telling , I will take responsibility for my own affairs.”
“Responsibility! We like that word, but we do not care for words that are nothing more than talk.”
“Do you dare compare to fools who spew nothing but empty rhetoric?”
Turning her head, Celsia glared at the guild mber with bloodshot eyes.
Between the fallen strands of blonde hair, only her fierce eyes and lips were red.
Celsia spoke clearly.
“Hand it over.”
The one who was taken aback was the Guild of Darkness mber.
His face was hidden by his hood, but the lips that could be seen parted before twisting into a smile that looked almost torn.
“Hahaha!”
Bursting into wild laughter, the guild mber spun around despite Cahena’s sword being aid at him.
He brushed aside the hair covering Celsia’s face and carefully pressed his lips to the end of her blonde hair.
“Well, well! Truly, you are a noble and exalted person! To foretell yet another sacrifice….”
“Will I be able to reach Him?”
“Ah! Of course. Of course you will! Our sister, soone as splendid as you has the right to bow even at His feet.”
As the guild mber whispered, Celsia’s eyes quickly filled with ecstasy, and a soft flush returned to her previously pale face.
“Now then, here! Take this with you. Go at once! May the glory of the night be with you!”
The guild mber handed sothing he had hidden inside his sleeve to Celsia.
It was a key.
Clutching the key dearly in both hands, Celsia suddenly began to run out the door.
“Huh!”
Those who were caught off guard by the sudden action were Aquila’s group instead.
Not only was there no opening to attack rashly due to the guild mber’s sharp killing intent, but Cahena could not move with Aquila behind her.
“I will follow her! I will rendezvous with the others outside—!”
Chelsey tried to run after her.
But—
Thwap!
As if in warning, a throwing dagger flew in front of her and buried itself deeply in the wall.
Startled, Chelsey turned back toward the guild mber.
“Those who were not promised cannot be sent. Only one has been invited beyond this point!”
The guild mber showed a heavily distorted smile.
Because only his mouth was visible, his face looked like that of a demon.
From him flowed a presence that could not even be compared to before.
A tingling, ominous sensation.
The mont Aquila felt that aura, a shiver ran straight down his spine.
‘Could this be…?’
Before he could finish the thought—
DING!
[!Beware of Fanatics!]
[A follower of a corrupted god exists nearby!]
A warning window appeared abruptly.
It was the sa alert that had appeared at the final mont of the previous iteration when he equipped the “Spear That Pierced the Corrupted God.”
Aquila could not understand why it was appearing now, when he had nothing equipped.
However, he had no intention of pondering it for long.
Thud thud thud….
The sound of Celsia’s footsteps was growing more distant.
‘Nothing good ever cos from getting involved with these people.’
Aquila roughly wiped his face with his sleeve and steadied his breathing.
“…I will chase after her.”
“What? But did you not see how he reacted earlier? There is no way he will let the young master through—”
“No. This ti, he will.”
Looking at the guild mber in the deep navy robe, Aquila whispered quietly enough that only they could hear.
“Be careful, Cahena. He will not be an easy opponent.”
“Pardon?”
But as soon as he finished speaking, Aquila turned and imdiately ran outside.
“…W-wait, young master!”
Cahena tried to follow him, but—
BANG!
A sword flew in an instant, blocking her path.
It was not a sharp, slicing trajectory, but a destructive blow.
The floor where Cahena had been about to step caved in deeply from that single strike.
But the guild mber’s sword did not stop there.
He lunged forward like an arrow and swung his blade forcefully in a horizontal arc.
Not at Aquila, whom he had been targeting before, but at Cahena this ti.
“Tsk…!”
Under the relentless barrage of strikes that gave her no opening, Cahena was finally forced to retreat.
Behind her, Chelsey glanced about, searching for an escape route, but a throwing dagger protruding between the guild mber’s fingers blocked her way.
“Haa! No, no! Please refrain from interfering with His noble ritual!”
The guild mber laughed rrily.
With their movents restrained, Cahena and Chelsey frowned at the sa ti.
“…I will support you.”
In the end, Chelsey whispered.
It seed she had judged that escaping alone was unrealistic, and that it would be faster to defeat him and push through.
Cahena nodded with a hardened expression.
Looking at the red hair that was already far away, she shouted,
“I will be there shortly, young master, so please be careful!”
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