“Keuk!”
Armel seemed to realize it just then, and took a step back. Still, he was among those who regained their senses quickly after getting defeated.
I pursued the distance Armel retreated. And I swung my short sword at Armel’s chest.
My short sword swung through the air, failing to reach Armel. He had been gauging the length of my sword while we exchanged blows a few times. It was only natural for the blade not to reach him, since he had retreated that much.
That’s right. The blade doesn’t reach.
Slice-
“Huh……?”
Armel stopped and seemed to realize it just then.
Blood flowed. The long gash on his chest bled. It soaked his uniform and dripped down.
“Ah, geez!”
BANG! Armel fell to one knee. Blood started gushing out. Dizziness and fatigue were quickly setting in.
“What? I clearly dodged it, why?”
Yes, Armel had avoided the blade.
However, he failed to evade my aura.
My Neil Jack’s dagger extends in length the moment it’s imbued with aura. It’s not that the blade itself got longer, the aura extends beyond the blade.
Furthermore, my aura is colorless. It’s not easy to estimate the range of an aura in the midst of an intense battle.
I deactivated Menosorpo.
“Stop, you are already seriously injured.”
“…”
Armel was scanning the ground with his bare hands. He kept looking at me while occasionally glancing at his surroundings.
He had dropped all the knives he was holding, so now he was trying to pick up anything he could find nearby. However, even his outstretched hand was trembling weakly. If he kept moving in such a state, his bleeding would only get worse.
That’s when it happened.
Creak. Someone came out of the back exit of the building.
As expected, it was Quinie. The timing was perfect.
“…Armel Colt.”
Quinie coldly called out Armel’s name. Not De Viet, but his name from his days in Constel. I guess Quinie was the one who had chosen that name.
“You are the one responsible for the incident 13 years ago.”
Quinie unfolded a scroll. It was already covered in mana, which gathered on the scroll.
“…Huhu, that’s right.”
Armel looked at Quinie with a smile.
Quinie’s eyes narrowed. Her eyes filled with frustration.
“…I really don’t remember. Not even a little. I’m looking at my father, the perpetrator, right in front of me.”
“Of course. My ability is perfect. Memories that I erase are never restored.”
Armel said this as if he was truly proud of it. He even smiled.
I don’t know what’s going through Armel’s head when he says that…
……But I remember something Selena once told me.
-When you’re smiling, make sure to smile with your eyes too. It’ll look more believable.
At the very least, the smile Armel is wearing right now, is not believable at all.
“I want to kill you right this instance, but you’re going to pay the price. It’s time we uncover the truth about Indus.”
“You can torture me all you want, but you’ll never get any information out of me about Indus.”
“Oh, so you’re that loyal?”
“No. It’s because I don’t know anything of value.”
As he said that, Armel let out a mocking sigh.
“Even among us, we don’t know who the real higher-ups are. Maybe the people closest to them might know, but even I don’t. I don’t know if Indus is made up of commoners, fallen nobles, prestigious families, or even royalty. And its size is impossible to measure. In fact, there are people out there who pretend to be Indus, but are not. Because the sign that says they’ll protect you from the discrimination and oppression that the commoners face, is easy to hang up.”
Just like Armel said, Indus looks like a clean organization on the outside, so there are countless people who call themselves Indus.
And because Indus doesn’t do anything to stop them, estimating its size has become even more difficult.
“Restrain me or kill me, do whatever you want. I mean, now that I’m here, I’m already worthless to Indus. The one thing Indus is the best at, is cutting off loose ends. You’ll see how every connection to me gets erased as if it were a lie.”
Keuheuheu, Armel made a laughing sound that may or may not have been a real laugh.
Quinie and I looked at each other and nodded. We had to do what had to be done anyway.
I slowly approached Armel. Since I was the only one immune to his ability, I was the only one that could restrain him.
Armel’s ability could be used from a distance, but Quinie was on alert, so she would easily be able to block it.
His ability definitely came from his fingertips, so all I had to do was watch out for his hands.
Just as I was approaching Armel from behind…
“Hey! Quinie! I’m here!”
…I heard the worst possible voice at the worst possible time.
Strangely enough, all three of us—me, Quinie, and Armel—simultaneously turned our heads towards the voice.
I could see Kora walking past the entrance to the Constel.
The timing couldn’t have been worse.
Armel’s words came back to me.
– I have both the drug that induces her rampage, as well as the antidote, right here with me.
Thwack!
Armel and I moved at almost the same time. Armel reached towards his pocket as I grabbed his shoulder, pouring my strength into it, intending to crush him.
But suddenly, my strength drained from me, and I staggered. The hand that had been gripping Armel’s shoulder hit the ground.
Armel rolled out of my grasp, having already become smaller than me.
“Bone shrinkage!”
Armel, now smaller than he had been before, took out a blade from his pocket. There was something attached to the hilt. It looked like a pouch filled with something.
Swish!
Armel, still trembling and barely able to keep his balance, threw the blade at Kora with all his might.
“Look out! Kora!” Quinie shouted.
Kora instinctively ducked her head after hearing that, dodging the blade.
Pop!
The pouch exploded in mid-air.
Right in front of Kora’s eyes.