Good thing we have Barrier on, but this is ridiculous!
“Hm!”
The innumerable bolts of lightning crawled along the arena like serpents looking for prey, but they had no effect on Fran, thanks to her Thunder Immunity. The barrier I cast around my blade prevented me from melting.
Was that…too much?
I didn’t know about that. Fact was, we were up against Gaudartha, who was a monster… If anything, that might not have been enough. We waited for the hurricane to subside, keeping our eyes open for any sudden movement.
When the spectators could see again, they gasped with awe at the giant crater where Gaudartha had been standing. Fran’s Black Lightning was seven times worse than the rhino’s Ground Shaker.
In the midst of the chaos, Gaudartha was on his knees, unmoving. The ground beneath him was red as molten glass, galvanized by the heat of Fran’s lightning. His Phoenix Armor was in pieces, having taken so much damage that it couldn’t repair itself. What little flesh we could see under the armor was an ashen gray, and I wouldn’t be surprised if nothing was left of the man but his armor.
“Did we win?”
Don’t say that yet, you’ll jinx it!
“Hm?”
Despite my superstitious protest, a pillar of white light shone on the arena. It encased Gaudartha in red light. About a minute or so later, the rhino was standing there, fully restored.
Wait, did we just—
“The Cradle of Time has activated! Gaudartha has died and come back to life! Which means the winner of this round is the Swordceress Fran!”
Chapter 5:
Her Greatest Wish
SEVERAL DAYS before the tournament—before Fran’s match with Zehmet, before our run-in with the Beast King at the Blue Cat encampment—we’d been training in the dungeon.
Let’s get some rest, Fran.
“Just a little more.”
I can tell that your concentration is dropping.
The endless fighting was beginning to take its toll. Mental exhaustion not only cost her fights, but also meant that she missed obvious traps. She was racking up damage from careless mistakes, but Fran only bit her lip and resolved to try harder.
“Just a bit more…”
Well, if you say so.
I sighed. I wanted her to be in top condition for the qualifiers, but Fran had other plans. Before she locked into combat with the Beast King, she wanted to evolve. It was the only way we’d have a chance against him, and Fran was beginning to panic. She showed no signs of evolving any time soon. I would have to use my trump card.
You wanna go see Lumina?
“What for?”
We can ask her why there’s so few monsters in the dungeon today.
“Sure.”
Fran nodded. My plan worked. I didn’t want to bother the Black Cat Dungeon Master, but Fran needed a break before she killed herself. We trekked through the dungeon and found Lumina sitting in the center of the room, looking spaced-out.
Huh?!
“Ah…!”
Lumina’s aura alarmed us. Her body was changing. Her white skin, which made her look so much like Fran, was darkening. A change in mere outward appearance was usually no cause for concern, but the degree of malice she exuded was distressing. We had only seen this kind of malice in Fiends. While she had yet to surpass the Archfiend Linford of Bulbola, she exhibited levels far beyond an average Goblin King.
“Lumina…?” Fran called out weakly.
She finally took notice of us. “Fran…”
Or perhaps not. Lumina was acting strange, which I suspected was the cause of the strangeness in the dungeon today. Fiends hated all the other races. Slaughter and destruction were their sole purpose. What if Lumina was infected with the same corruption? We wouldn’t be able to defeat her easily.
Lumina turned to look at Fran. She looked relieved to see the young Black Cat, but only for a second. Her expression soon hardened again.
“Hm. It’s me.”
“I see.” An unusually cold response. She would always welcome Fran with warmth and congeniality, but the malice was taking its toll.
“There are no monsters in the dungeon.”
“I see,” Lumina responded coldly. She wasn’t at all pleased to see Fran.
“Umm…”
“Fran. Leave.”
“What?”
“I am occupied with many things. I have no time to pamper you. Leave. I do not wish to see you…”
Lumina grabbed Fran’s shoulder and pushed her towards the exit. What was with her today? There had to be some reason. It didn’t make sense.
“But…!”
“You are not to come here ever again. That is final.”
Her words left Fran utterly shocked. She was confused by Lumina’s sudden change. I checked her statements with Essence of Falsehood and found that they were true. That said, I didn’t know whether her apparent cruelty was really what she wanted. Essence of Falsehood only allowed me to test the validity of a statement, and not the hidden meaning. Our encounter with Solus proved that.
If we left the dungeon now, we would probably never see Lumina again. Fran would be too afraid. We needed to know the truth. And we needed to do it before she turned into a Fiend, or it would be too late.
“Lumina…” Fran croaked.
She was terrified, but it was not the same fear that she had of the Beast King. She was afraid of losing a dear friend. Worse, she was afraid that Lumina hated her. A storm of emotions whirled through Fran’s heart. In all her solitary life, she had finally met one of her kind. She got along with her, even respected her. Even if Lumina turned into a Fiend, Fran would still love her.
The pain of Lumina’s rejection was too much. Fran had already lost Inina. If Lumina hated her, then she would not recover. At the same time, she couldn’t ask for the truth.
I had to take matters into my own hands. Should I reveal myself? Fran and Lumina’s relationship was infinitely more important than keeping my identity concealed. I made up my mind.
Why are you turning Fran away?
“Who…was that…?” Lumina turned around, trying to identify the source of my voice.
Over here!
I pulled myself out of Fran’s sheath, declaring my existence.
“The sword has a will of its own…! And it’s talking… Are you an
