"...What are you scheming?"
Kalakin's expression turned wary.
Even if he didn't know what Lania was up to, Kalakin judged that it would be difficult to trust her so easily.
However, unlike the serious Kalakin, Lania merely chuckled lightly.
"Scheming? Why would I need something like that against the likes of you?"
"You dare...!"
Dmitri openly displayed his hostility.
If not for Kalakin holding him back, another incident might have occurred. Dmitri's resentment toward Lania had not diminished in the slightest.
"Look at those eyes. Is that how you treat the person who saved your life? Should I gouge them out and feed them to the beasts?"
"You bastard!"
"I'm not a bastard—I'm a bitch, you son of a bitch."
"How dare you insult me!"
As Dmitri looked ready to lunge at the sneering Lania, Kalakin stepped in to restrain him.
"Dmitri."
"Let go! I'm going to kill her right now!"
"Dmitri!"
Kalakin barely managed to calm the fuming Dmitri before turning to Lania.
"...How did you know to come here? Didn't you go in the opposite direction from us?"
It was a reasonable question.
This path led toward Ark, whereas Lania and the remnants of Kronos had gone in the opposite direction.
"Well, I was planning to just leave, but some woman kept whining in my ear. Begging me to help. So, I had no choice but to come."
"...Some woman?"
"Yeah, that pale-looking girl who was with you. Huh? She's not here. Where'd she go? Don't tell me she's dead already?"
Kalakin felt his legs momentarily weaken.
It was Iris's desperation that had saved them from certain death.
"More than anything, if you guys died like this, my dear oraboni wouldn't like it."
"...So that's the real reason."
"That's mostly the reason."
Lania chuckled.
"I don't trust the people of Ark. But I trust my oraboni."
"...Such remarkable sibling loyalty."
"He's the only family I have left."
There was a bitter undertone in Lania's voice as she said that.
"Why that face? You want me to not save you?"
"...As if you were planning to in the first place."
"Aren't you seeing me too kindly? Keep acting so arrogant, and I might just put up with my oraboni hating me a little."
It was impossible to tell whether Lania was joking or serious as she grinned from ear to ear.
Even so, Kalakin spoke.
"...Please. Save me and my team."
"Hmm, so you do know some manners. Alright, fine. I'll go ahead and use some of my power."
The ether around Lania began to stir.
The overwhelming ether that had been keeping the beasts and monsters at bay was now shifting into an offensive stance.
[Aaaaaaaaaaaaaah───!!!]
[Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop....]
[Kyaaaaaaaah!]
Not only did the surging ether halt the movements of the beasts, but it also shredded them apart like a storm of razor-sharp blades.
[Kaaaaak!]
[Kkiiek!]
'...Unbelievable.'
Kalakin clicked his tongue.
An ether adept of this caliber? Even within Ark, this was at least Navy Line level.
He had known that Lania was strong, but this was beyond excessive.
"Kalakin, that's...."
Hildegard trembled with fear.
It was unavoidable.
Even Kalakin himself had no idea what Hildegard's insight had seen in Lania at that moment.
'If someone like her ever became Ark's enemy....'
Just the thought was terrifying.
Moreover, Lania didn't look that old on the outside.
Meaning, as time passed, she would only grow stronger—perhaps beyond control.
'We must never turn her into an enemy. For Ark's sake, and for everyone's.'
A part of Kalakin's reasoning was also tied to Carl Marcus.
Carl Marcus was undoubtedly a suspicious man, yet Kalakin believed he was acting in Ark's best interests.
Everything Carl Marcus had done until now pointed to that.
If Carl Marcus had wanted to destroy Ark, there were far more efficient ways to do so.
But he hadn't.
No matter how Kalakin looked at it, he had no choice but to trust Carl Marcus.
'Carl Marcus and Lania Marcus. If these two ever turn against Ark....'
As Kalakin's eyes took in the flying chunks of flesh from the shredded beasts and monsters, Lania spoke up.
"What are you doing?"
"...Doing what?"
"You need to run. I'm at my limit. Can't you see the sweat on my forehead?"
"Ah...."
"...Huh?"
"What now?"
Kalakin and the scouting team were momentarily dumbfounded.
It was understandable.
No matter how powerful an ether adept she was, there was no way Lania could take on an entire army alone.
They had simply forgotten that fact for a moment, mesmerized by her overwhelming presence and absurd abilities.
"Aren't you leaving? I'll leave you behind!"
"W-Wait!"
Kalakin and the scouting team hurriedly followed behind Lania.
* * *
Contrary to expectations, tracking down the remnants of Kronos was not easy.
It seemed they were moving under some sort of cloaking field.
'With this setup, they wouldn't be easily detected even by the Wave.'
Should I praise them for their skill or be annoyed because they were making themselves so hard to find?
Regardless, as the journey dragged on, the advance of the Beast Legion was moving faster than anticipated.
["Master! Wait a moment!"]
"Why?"
["A voice. I heard a voice."]
A voice?
["I'll explain later—just head that way first!"]
Esther took the lead in front of Horus.
For a while, it was an almost comical sight—a ghost-type creature leading the way, followed by a pack of monsters.
And after some time of flying—
["Down there!"]
At Esther's urgent cry, I looked down at the ground.
There, in the middle of the wasteland, lay a familiar figure.
"...Iris?"
I had no idea how she ended up there, but Iris was collapsed in the middle of the wasteland.
I tightened my grip on Horus's reins.
"Take us down."
[Kihek!]
Horus dove toward the ground at breakneck speed.
Upon landing, I quickly checked on Iris.
Fortunately, she was still breathing. At the very least, she wasn't dead.
'It's overload. She resonated with the ether beyond her limit.'
That was likely how Esther had sensed her presence.
But something was off.
If she had exhausted her ether due to battle, there should have been monster or beast corpses nearby.
Yet, the area was completely empty.
There was no apparent reason for her to have pushed herself to the brink.
'And why was she alone in the first place?'
Wasn't she supposed to be with Kalakin?
Or could it be that something had happened to the scouting team?
'No… that's not the priority right now.'
Even if she wasn't dead, Iris's condition was dire.
If left untreated, she could suffer permanent damage—or worse.
'No other choice, then.'
I uncapped the canteen on my belt.
I had wanted to conserve it, but leaving Iris like this wasn't an option.
'Her condition isn't critical, so just a little should do.'
I poured a small amount of the life water into the cap and carefully dripped it into her mouth.
Even in its diluted form, this water was akin to a potion.
With this, she would regain consciousness soon.
"Ugh… Ugh...."
As expected, not even a few minutes passed before Iris stirred awake.
"You're up?"
"H-Hic!"
The moment she registered my voice, she jolted upright and scrambled backward.
"Th-This… what in the world...?"
I could feel it.
Iris was genuinely afraid of me.
But now wasn't the time to be considerate of her feelings.
"That's what I'd like to ask. Why are you out here alone? Where are the others?"
"The others… Ah! The team! They're in danger!"
"In danger? Explain properly."
"There's no time! We have to go save them! My team, they're—!"
It seemed this wasn't the moment for a lengthy discussion.
"Where?"
"...Huh?"
"Where are they? I'm heading there now."
"Ah... that way! Over there!"
Iris, still momentarily dazed, finally regained focus and pointed with a trembling finger.
"Got it."
Now that I had the direction, there was no time to waste.
I slung Iris over one shoulder and activated the Z-74 jetpack.
There was no way I was letting her ride Horus.
"Umm...."
"What?"
"...Is this really the only way to carry me?"
"This way, I can still use my free hand if needed."
"Ah… I see."
Iris seemed dissatisfied, but frankly, I didn't care.
["Seriously, could you stop carrying people around like baggage?"]
'I already gave my reason.'
["Ugh… You're hopeless."]
Ignoring her complaints, I fired up the Z-74 jetpack in the direction Iris had indicated.
Honestly, I would've preferred to leave her behind.
But if I did, and she got lost again, it would be even more of a hassle.
'The jetpack's energy level is a little iffy, but it should hold.'
Even with the Z-74's powerful output, carrying an extra person naturally reduced energy efficiency.
If the distance was too far, I might run into trouble.
But dealing with that was still preferable to dealing with the headache of abandoning her and retracing my steps later.
Krrrrrrrrng!
With a deafening engine roar, the plasma thrusters ignited with a brilliant blue flame.
"Hold on tight."
"Huh? Kyah!"
I ignored all concerns about energy efficiency and pushed the Z-74 to near maximum output.
At this speed, even Horus couldn't keep up.
Just brushing against a single leaf at this velocity would be enough to rip skin apart.
After flying for some time—
["Master."]
At Esther's voice, I spotted a group in the distance, frantically moving across the horizon.
They were all familiar faces.
Kalakin, Dmitri, Hildegard, and—Lania.
The only oddity was that they were currently being chased by a horde of beasts.
'...What the hell are they doing?'
The time I had bought them with Ankelenth's Domain and the Church of Morte wasn't insignificant.
It should've been enough for them to escape.
Yet, the rest of Kronos's remnants were nowhere to be seen, and only Lania and the scouting team were left running for their lives.
'Anyway....'
I gripped the BLT-47 Plasma Launcher with my free hand.
It was the best weapon for fighting with one arm occupied.
'Let's do this.'
A crimson flash erupted into the air.
* * *
「"Exhaustion."」
「"It felt like she was dying."」
「"Agony."」
「"Someone, save me."」
Lania felt the bitter taste rising in her throat.
'Why the hell did I even come here?'
To be honest, she didn't particularly like Ark's scouting team.
Their reason for coming here was suspicious, and more than anything, their arrogance irritated her.
She had considered protecting them, if only because she had seen Carl Marcus's face. But they had willingly left Kronos's refugees on their own. That was more than enough for Lania to wash her hands of any responsibility.
And yet—
Somehow, Lania had ended up here, running alongside Ark's scouting team, being hunted by beasts.
She had brought this upon herself.
'Why the hell did I come here…?'
Of course, if she wanted to, she could abandon them right now and escape alone.
But for some reason, her body moved on its own, instinctively shielding them.
[────────!!!]
A concentrated mass of ether lashed out like a massive club, striking down a beast that had been about to crush Hildegard.
Dizziness overtook Lania, but she had no time to show weakness.
"Th-Thank you!"
"...If you've got the breath to say that, then just keep running!"
"Behind you!"
A massive shadow loomed over Lania.
'Ah. I'm screwed.'
She instinctively tried to gather ether to brace for the incoming impact—
Ziiiiing—
A single crimson flash sliced through the air, grazing the neck of the beast lunging at her.
"What the hell…?"
And then she saw him.
It was an absurd sight, really.
Slung over his left shoulder was a silver-haired woman, her disheveled hair whipping in the wind. His right hand held what looked like a flimsy weapon.
And yet—
Every single person present felt a wave of relief wash over them.
"Oraboni!"
Carl Marcus.
He had arrived.