Author: Akashari	Original Source: Syosetu
Translator: Mui	English Source: Re:Library

Project GB is an official initiative by Re:Library.

“―Huh?”

Suddenly, my vision turned pitch black, and Master’s figure vanished. What just happened? Before I could even process it, a suffocating sensation, like I was drowning, overwhelmed me.

“Gah…!? W-What is this…?!”

I couldn’t breathe—air slipped out of my mouth, but I couldn’t draw any in.

Where was I? This wasn’t the meadow I had been standing in just moments ago. What happened? I had to remember. Master was almost swallowed by the ground, and then I took Stell and…

(…Stell!!)

That’s right—just like Master, I had been swallowed by something too.

If that’s the case, then Stell must have been swallowed along with me. She couldn’t be far. Despite the lack of air, I forced myself to stay conscious and scanned my surroundings. In that instant, a blade flashed, heading straight for my nose.

(――Nngh!?)

“……!”

I bit down on the approaching knife, stopping it just in time. Thank goodness I always took care of my teeth.

Then it hit me—someone was here. Someone other than Stell, and they were trying to kill us.

“Mngh! Who are you, and what do you want-gwbah!?”
“Tsk, this stupidly strong girl…!”

I snapped the blade with the strength of my jaw alone, trying to speak again—only to remember I had no air left.

All the remaining oxygen escaped from my mouth, and the attacker cursed under their breath as they began to retreat. I wanted to chase after them, but my body wouldn’t cooperate. It felt as though I was being weighed down by thick, muddy water, making it impossible to move my legs.

“Whatever, the target’s already…”
“W-Wait…!”

No, Stell was going to be taken. If I couldn’t follow this person, I wouldn’t be able to track down the culprit. At the very least, I had to leave behind something—anything that could serve as a clue――

“…Wake up――root everything out!!”

――――――――…………
――――……
――…

“Gah! Gah, cough, cough…! Haa…! Th-thank you, Master…”
“Don’t speak. Breathe slowly and get your breath back.”

I found Momo by following her faint voice. Though she was barely breathing, she seemed to have no visible injuries. That was fortunate, but it was like she had nearly drowned. If I had been any later in my response, she might not have survived.

“Mas…ter… Ste…ll…”
“I know. The fact that it wasn’t a total annihilation is a stroke of luck. You need to rest…”
“―Finger… I… set it up… Haa… just in time…!”
“Oh?”

Despite her labored breathing, Momo raised her index finger, trying to convey something to me. Given the situation and the mention of a ‘finger,’ I understood what she was getting at.

“Well done, Momo. I’ll take it from here…”
“Master!? You’re bleeding…!”

As I attempted to cast a wind spell to take off again, a sharp pain shot through my body, causing blood to spill from the corner of my mouth. It wasn’t from an enemy attack—this was just the backlash from pushing my worn-out body too hard.

That reckless burst of wind spell I used to escape must have taken a toll on me, but I was far from my limit.

“Don’t worry about it; I just bit my tongue. Where did the enemy go?”
“But, aren’t you pushing yourself too hard…”
“There’s no time for this. Answer me, Momo.”
“…Understood. I’ll carry you, Master!”
“Wait, have you forgotten you almost died just now?”
“You need to save your strength. Besides, I’m the one who knows the location, so this way is faster!”

Once Momo had regained her breath, she didn’t wait for any rebuttal. She hoisted me up and started running across the frost-covered meadow. There was no hesitation in her stride. Her ‘finger’ was accurately tracking the fugitive. She didn’t need to waste time relaying information to me, and at this pace, we should be able to catch up quickly.

“…Fine, but be careful of any attacks. If we get swallowed up again, we won’t have a second chance.”
“I trust you’ll handle it if it comes to that, Master! By the way, have you already figured out who’s behind this?”
“I have a theory, but it’s not certain yet. So don’t let your guard down.”

――――――――…………
――――……
――…

“Damn it, what the hell are those brats…!”

I had underestimated this job, thinking it would be an easy task to kill a couple of kids. It wasn’t worth the trouble at all. A girl who bites through a specially made knife and a brat who forcefully overturns my unique magecraft? Ridiculous—I didn’t wanna deal with monsters like that.

…I was lucky that those two weren’t the main targets. Even with multiple lives, I wouldn’t have enough to spare. My job was simple: eliminate the kid I had tucked under my arm, blissfully unaware and breathing calmly, not knowing she was about to die.

But it was too soon to kill her now. I couldn’t feel safe until I’ve shaken off those two bodyguards. Once I return to the client’s mansion, I’ll be safe—

“―Hold it right there!!”
“What!? They’ve already caught up!?”

This was bad. Should I dive underground? No, if they overturned the ground again, I could be buried alive. Fight back? That’s impossible. I didn’t bring much gear, thinking this was just an assassination mission. My only weapon was the knife that was just broken.

As I debated, the presence behind me was getting closer. There was no way I could outrun them. If that’s the case, then maybe…

“…Don’t move! Or this kid gets it!”

I turned around, pressing the broken knife against the kid’s throat, taking her as a hostage. Those two were this kid’s bodyguards; they wouldn’t dare make a move now.

As expected, the pink-haired brat, who had been charging forward with determination, came to a frustrated halt. The silver-haired kid she was holding was bleeding for some reason. All I needed now was to find an opening, slit this kid’s throat, and make my escape…

“…Hmm, a female assassin. I can’t say I’m surprised, but it is an unexpected twist.”
“Sh-shut up! It doesn’t matter who I am! If you make one wrong move, I’ll kill her!!”
“A wrong move… are you sleepwalking? You better wake up, because that’s a bad move.”
“What are you talking abou—”

Before I could finish, a sharp crack echoed, followed by a searing pain shooting through my arm. I realized too late that something had been done to me, and instinctively, I tried to press the knife harder against the kid’s throat—only to find that my arm wouldn’t move. It was numb, lifeless. I looked down in horror to see my arm impaled by several frost-tipped spears that had emerged from the ground.

“A-Agh…!?”
“Careful now. Don’t try anything foolish. And just so you know, trying to sink into the shadows is out of the question. If I even sense a hint of magecraft, your head will be off before you can finish the spell.”

It was over. I was done for. Even my last resort had been anticipated. The moment I so much as muttered a spell, I was dead. The silver-haired girl standing under the starlight seemed more like a demon than a human to me.

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