Chapter 75

(Note) This is my second post of the day.

21

"Gerbera!"

Seeing the white shadow that rushed in, I let out an excited cry.

"You came!"

"Hmm. You seem to be safe, my lord. First of all, that's a relief."

Gerbera narrowed her red eyes as she looked around the area.

"However, it seems something has happened."

Gerbera turned her gaze toward me, and I nodded in response.

"Yeah. I need your power."

In the midst of a desperate situation, a glimmer of hope had appeared.

I had expected that Gerbera wouldn't just sit around, but from the looks of it, she had immediately started chasing us after the cliff collapse.

The delay in catching up was likely due to her injuries.

Gerbera's wounds from the battle with Iino had not yet healed. Of her originally eight spider legs, only one on the left and three on the right remained. She was using her hook claws to anchor herself to the ground, but she stumbled when she landed.

It was better that she could still move at all, but her pride in mobility was virtually gone.

However, she was still the most powerful familiar among my companions.

At the very least, the chances of success in rescuing Lily would be much higher with her than if I tried to do it alone.

If only Shiran had come too, it would have been even better, but unfortunately, she was not there. She was probably waiting for us to return on the mountain path above with Kai.

Unfortunately, there was no time to go and call Shiran and return.

I could feel through the Pass that Lily was getting further and further away. Her presence was becoming more distant, and there was a chance I might not be able to sense her at all soon.

I couldn't have predicted that Takaya would attack.

I should be grateful that Gerbera had come to my aid.

"Let's talk about what happened on the way. Let's go."

"Y-Yes. Understood."

With a new glimmer of hope, I couldn't just stand there. I called out to the bewildered Gerbera and started running.

"Master!?"

Rose's surprised voice chased after me from behind.

"Don't worry!"

I turned my head and responded without looking back.

"I'll definitely bring Lily back!"

Even as I said it, I knew it would be difficult.

But since giving up wasn't an option, I had to do my best.

This was a situation where I had to push through.

I clenched my fist.

＊＊＊

Takaya's destination with Lily seemed to be in the direction of the imperial territory. Through the Pass, I could sense that Lily's presence was heading straight southeast through the Kitoris Mountains.

It seemed that Takaya, relying on his cheater abilities, was traversing the mountains rather than using the winding mountain paths, likely to avoid pursuit.

That was quite cautious of him.

Because of the Pass, I could roughly sense Lily's location, but without it, tracking her would have been difficult.

In a way, we had inadvertently missed Takaya's true intentions.

With Lily as a burden, Takaya would have a harder time traversing the mountains than the mountain paths.

The decisive moment would be before they crossed the Kitoris Mountains.

We had to catch up somehow.

"Hey, my lord. Can you explain what happened soon?"

At that moment, Gerbera, who was moving by leaping beside me, spoke with a hint of impatience.

That reminded me that I hadn't explained anything to her yet.

"Ah, right. Sorry. I'll explain now. Actually, after the cliff collapse—"

I briefly told Gerbera what had happened while we were separated.

"I see. So, Lily—"

When she finished listening, Gerbera let out a growl.

"We will definitely get her back. I need your help for that."

"Of course."

Gerbera nodded firmly.

"If there's anything I can do, I'll help."

"Your willingness to help is greatly appreciated."

"Still, I'm in this state. I can't guarantee how much I can contribute—"

"That's fine."

I forced a smile to mask the tension on my face and turned to Gerbera, who was running alongside me.

"According to Iino, Takaya can't use magic. He's not that strong as a warrior either. There should be some openings we can exploit."

I tried to stay calm and assess the situation.

Despite the growing anxiety in my chest, panicking wouldn't improve the situation.

What was needed was calmness. Losing my composure would only make things worse.

"Armed with magical equipment is troublesome, but if we can deal with that, there's a chance of winning. No, if I were alone, I wouldn't have a chance, but now that Gerbera is here, there are many possibilities."

"…It's reassuring to hear you say that."

Despite her words, Gerbera looked doubtful.

Her red eyes seemed to scrutinize me suspiciously.

"What's wrong?"

"Maybe it's just my imagination."

Shaking her head, Gerbera glanced at me sideways.

"But what is Takaya's purpose?"

"That… naturally, it's to get back Mizuhashi Mihō, right?"

I was a bit taken aback by the obvious question.

"Takaya is Mizuhashi Mihō's childhood friend. He cares about her so much that he crossed the forest alone. So, his goal must be Mizuhashi Mihō."

"Hey, my lord. Are you serious?"

While running, Gerbera said.

"If that's the case, why did Takaya attack the important Mizuhashi Mihō?"

"That's…."

I felt caught off guard.

"…Indeed, it is strange."

Takaya had pierced Lily's head with a sword.

If it had been anyone else, they would have died from the first blow.

If the goal was to incapacitate Mizuhashi Mihō, there were other ways to do it…

No, that's also strange.

Why did Takaya think Mizuhashi Mihō would resist?

To Takaya, Mizuhashi Mihō was a childhood friend. There was no reason to attack her by surprise.

He could have just talked to her normally. Instead, Takaya attacked from behind, using an extremely aggressive method by piercing her head with a sword.

"What's going on…"

"Hey, my lord."

Gerbera, running beside me, glanced at me sideways.

Her thin eyebrows were furrowed, and her expression was unusually serious.

"Remember that girl, Ide-ten or something?"

"‘Weidatian.’ Her name is Iino Yuna."

"Right. Do you remember what she said when she appeared?"

"Of course. She demanded, 'Did you make your monster eat Mizuhashi-san?'"

"That's right."

Gerbera nodded.

"That girl knew Lily's true identity. The Takaya who took Lily was with her, right?"

"…"

"Takaya should have known Lily's true identity as well, shouldn't he?"

That made sense.

If he had known Lily's true identity beforehand, Takaya's actions would be very understandable.

The 'Sin's Shackles' he had wouldn't activate if there was a will to resist.

For Mizuhashi Mihō, it might be different, but to incapacitate the monster Lily, he needed to deal a significant blow.

He could have severed her body, but the most efficient method was to strike her disguised head in one blow. There was no more effective way.

"But there's one strange thing about this."

Gerbera continued.

"Takaya, knowing that Lily was a monster disguised as Mizuhashi Mihō, still took her. That's what I can't understand."

"…Not only that, he called Lily 'Mihō-nee.' He said, 'From now on, I'll protect you properly.' It didn't seem like an act."

…What does this mean?

If the one he got wasn't Mizuhashi Mihō, he wouldn't have said that.

But if it was Mizuhashi Mihō, he wouldn't have used such a brutal method to secure her.

"Maybe…."

A thought occurred to me, and I furrowed my brow.

—Finally, I've got you back, Mihō-nee.

A voice that sounded innocent and pure echoed in my mind.

An attitude that contradicted the merciless attack.

A gaze that seemed to deviate from the norm and a presence that felt like resentment.

"Takaya might have gone crazy."

I finally realized this possibility.

"Crazy, you say?"

I nodded in response to Gerbera's question.

"Yeah. Takaya Jun was in love with his childhood friend, Mizuhashi Mihō. That's why he was so concerned about her, even to the point of risking his own life. When she was lost, it's not surprising that he went crazy…."

As I spoke, a chill ran down my spine.

I had thought of something I shouldn't have.

Someone more important than myself. A precious and beloved girl.

For Takaya, it was Mizuhashi Mihō. For me, it was Lily.

So, I thought…

…If I lost Lily, could I remain sane?

I quickly stopped myself from thinking further.

This wasn't the time to think about such things. It was too ominous…

"I see. Takaya might not be able to distinguish between Mizuhashi Mihō and Lily. But, that could be a source of relief for us, couldn't it?"

"…Huh?"

Gerbera's words brought me back to reality.

"Sorry, what do you mean by 'a source of relief'?"

"What you feared was that Takaya would realize Lily wasn't Mizuhashi Mihō and harm her, right?"

Gerbera said in a reassuring tone.

"But that possibility is gone. Takaya knew from the beginning that Lily was a monster and still took her."

"Ah, yeah…."

Now that she mentioned it, that was indeed the case.

Gerbera was right.

However, I couldn't feel relieved. These things don't work logically.

I nodded vaguely.

"Yeah."

"…"

After that, we rushed forward in silence.

The sun flickered at the edge of my vision.

The day was tilting. A prickling sensation ran down my neck. How much time had passed since Lily was taken? How much distance had we closed? Was she getting further away?

Unproductive thoughts circled in my head.

"…?"

I noticed that Gerbera was looking at me suspiciously after a few minutes of silence.

Feeling suspicious, I opened my mouth.

"Is something wrong, Gerbera?"

"…Hey, my lord."

There was a loud thud.

Suddenly, Gerbera used her hook claws as brakes and came to an abrupt stop.

I hurriedly stopped as well.

"Whoa."

I lost my balance and stumbled, putting one hand on the ground to steady myself.

"…?"

I realized I was breathing heavily. My heart was pounding.

I stood up and felt a slight dizziness. Shaking it off, I turned around.

"What's wrong, Gerbera?"

There she was, Gerbera, who had stopped.

Dust rose from the ground where her spider legs were embedded.

Her head was bowed, and her face was hidden by her long hair.

"I take back what I said."

Gerbera said softly.

"It seems this isn't just my imagination."

◆I'll update again in an hour.