Author: Shizuku	Original Source: Syosetu	Word Count: 2220 characters
Translator: Nomad	English Source: Re:Library	Word Count: 934 words
Editor(s): Robinxen

In the darkness of the night, a Dinoduxphuros let out a resonant call. It was an order to the flowers around it, imbued with the monster’s mana, causing them to glow and indicate a direction.

“Shaa.”

The monster made a softer noise, surprisingly gentle compared to the sharp fangs in its jaws, as it lowered its head.

“I see, they went that way.”

A woman with silver hair and blue eyes stood nearby. She was dressed in masculine attire—a short-sleeved shirt and long trousers—but her body shape betrayed her identity as a woman. At the same time, her appearance emphasized her joints, which were unmistakably not human.

“Let’s hurry. We can’t let them escape.”
“Shaa!”

The two monsters ran forward without hesitation.

✦✧✦✧✦

Itski, Dominic, and the revived Ophelia had already left Seperion and crossed the border into Berlomot. They had moved with impressive speed, aided by magic that continuously strengthened their bodies and by Itski’s teleportation spell, which allowed them to cross the border undetected.

“Remind me to never do this again.”
“I’m really sorry. I promise I’ll pay you back properly once we get home.”

Itski grumbled, while Dominic, his head wrapped in bandages, replied with his usual indifferent tone.

While their mission had been moderately successful, Itski felt the effort he’d put in was far from worth it. Although mana recovery potions made the process manageable, running all night while maintaining a strengthening spell was exhausting and entirely unpleasant.

Thanks to their efforts, however, they were approaching a fort.

The silhouette of Fort Paniccia loomed in the distance. It was one of the forts built by the Sacred Empire of Granleuche in Berlomot and housed a secret long-distance teleportation gate. Reaching the fort would essentially mean they were back in Granleuche¹.

A few steps later, they noticed Ophelia had stopped walking behind them.

Suddenly, two bullets shot through the air—one striking the path ahead and the other whizzing past her.

The magic bullet that hit the ground carried enough power to kill. This was clearly no accident. It was evident that an enemy had caught up to them.

“Too bad, it seems someone has caught up to us.”

Contrary to the gravity of the situation, Ophelia wore an unconcerned smile.

“They missed? No, it must’ve been on purpose,” Itski muttered, following the blue trails of the magic bullets to a spot in the sky above.

As he suspected, the shooter had missed intentionally. The shots had been a warning and a challenge. The message was clear: face the shooter, or the next shots would not miss.

It was possible the threat was a bluff and the remaining bullets would not be as strong, but there was no way to know for certain.

“She really doesn’t know when to give up.”
“Do you know who that is, Dominic?” Itski asked.
“…We’ll have to deal with her. Otherwise, we’ll lead her straight to the fort.”

Dominic ignored Itski’s question, and Itski chose not to press further. Instead, he focused on assessing their current situation.

Both men had depleted much of their mana during their escape, leaving them in no condition to fight. Yet they couldn’t risk leading their pursuer directly to Fort Paniccia. They would have to confront their enemy first.

There was a considerable risk of getting shot from behind, but the teleportation gate in the fort would bring them to safety. While the fort could likely defend them from the enemy, they did not want to compromise such a secret location.

It was going to be a waste of firepower and mana, but there was only one option.

“Ophelia, take care of it.”
“Well, I expected you’d ask.”

Itski decided to leave Ophelia behind, and she nodded in agreement.

“Well then, I’m going.”
“I expect great things from all the mana I gave you.”

Itski’s words, barely qualifying as encouragement, hung in the air as Ophelia’s body began to defy gravity and rise.

Itski knew Ophelia understood that she was being used by her own enemies, and she clearly resented it. However, he also couldn’t see her as merely a tool, even if she was no longer truly alive. This internal conflict revealed his own shortcomings in making decisions.

“I didn’t expect you’d be the same².”
“Huh?”
“Never mind.”

Ophelia looked away as she ascended. Itski, left puzzled by her remark, couldn’t linger on it and continued heading toward the fort with Dominic.

✦✧✦✧✦

After firing the warning shots, Natalia lowered her sniper rifle.

The man in the robe was Dominic. The woman in the black dress was that. The man in the white hat and coat was unfamiliar to her, but he didn’t matter at the moment, so she dismissed him from her thoughts.

Blue Hound would likely no longer be of use, so she decided to stash it away. Then, she noticed something approaching from the ground. She didn’t need her sniper scope to know who it was.

A stream of mana, more powerful than a fully charged shot from Red Cassowary, flew toward her. But it didn’t strike her. It passed by harmlessly.

“Is that supposed to be revenge?” Natalia gripped White Viper in her right hand and Black Hawk in her left, aiming both at the figure flying up toward her.

“!?”

The figure became clearer, and Natalia gritted her teeth as she pulled the triggers. Magic bullets streamed from both guns, but they were all effortlessly blocked by a barrier.

In return, the figure fired mana projectiles back, simultaneously casting Thunderstorm, a mid-level lightning magic spell. Six bolts of lightning surged toward her, unleashed without any chanting.

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