Chapter 35: Being Chased by a Grand Servant Is Scarier Than Seeing a Ghost!
Whoosh!
Tristan was thrown by Eikou like a spear, flying straight out.
However, Tezcatlipoca swiftly caught that "spear" mid-air with astonishing agility.
Their opponent was a Grand Assassin & Berserker—Eikou didn't expect the throw to hit at all. He only wanted to use the moment Tezcatlipoca caught Tristan to make a getaway.
Sorry, Tristan-kun... But I can't let Baobhan Sith get eliminated and leave the two of us guys to trigger the suspension bridge effect!
[You and Baobhan Sith are trying to evade Tezcatlipoca's pursuit.]
[Please perform an Agility check.]
The dice were rolled.
[Check successful.]
[As Tezcatlipoca caught Tristan, you immediately dragged Baobhan Sith into the nearby Math classroom to escape. Just as he was about to catch up, you pulled her into a nearby cabinet to hide.]
Tezcatlipoca's footsteps echoed down the dark and eerie hallway.
Inside the cramped cabinet, the two of them were so tense they didn't dare breathe heavily, holding their breath with extreme caution.
"..."
The cabinet was so small that Baobhan Sith had no choice but to press up against his chest.
Eikou could clearly feel the softness and warmth in his arms—her petite, supple, and springy body. Though unwilling, she still had to rest her head against his chest in such a tight space.
A luxurious fragrance, like Morgan's, wafted from her red hair.
His heart skipped a beat, and he didn't dare breathe at all.
"..."
Whether it was an illusion or not, the air inside the cabinet began to feel unbearably sweet and suffocating.
Only the sound of their breathing remained in the cabinet.
Just like that, a long moment passed.
Neither said a word, silently waiting for the danger to pass.
Tezcatlipoca's footsteps gradually faded away.
Click!
Once it was safe, the two immediately opened the cabinet door.
The next second, they instinctively stepped away from each other, keeping a fixed distance.
"So boring I could die…"
Baobhan Sith's face was bright red as she irritably brushed her tousled red hair back.
"There are so many fun evening activities waiting for me, yet I have to go to a haunted house with you people—getting chased by strangers, hiding in a cabinet. This is basically a punishment game!"
"That's true."
"You really admitted it without hesitation…" Baobhan Sith was startled, then sighed in disappointment. "I seriously don't understand what Mother sees in you. If I want to find the answer, I might as well just take her to an eye doctor—maybe I'll get a quicker conclusion."
Eikou put his hands on his hips:
"What's that supposed to mean? I just saved your life, and this is how you treat your savior?"
"What are you talking about? Protecting me is your basic duty, isn't it?"
Baobhan Sith spoke with a tone that suggested it was only natural.
Her imperious attitude nearly made Eikou choke.
"You really think you're the Queen of Chaldea, huh? That entitled attitude of expecting others to serve you—just from that alone, you really do resemble your mother."
"Like Mother dearest? I'll take that as a compliment."
"Yeah, yeah." He shrugged. "If that's the case, Your Highness, since you're so capable, why didn't you fight back when you ran into Tezcatlipoca-sensei earlier?"
"There's no way I could—only an idiot would try to fight him one-on-one. He's a Grand after all! Though he still doesn't compare to my Mother dearest."
Baobhan Sith proudly declared: "My Mother isn't just a King of Lostbelt—she's also a Grand."
"Grand my ass, stop gilding Morgan already!"
"So what? As long as she's here, I don't have to be afraid of Tezcatlipoca."
"What's there to brag about? You're just riding the coattails of a powerful backer. I've got strong backing too," Eikou said, clearly unconvinced. "I could call your mother here right now!"
"What the hell would you call my Mother for?!"
"Just saying, I actually don't even need to do that," Eikou said. "Because my skill set is ridiculously versatile— even when facing a Grand Servant like Tezcatlipoca, I can still put up a fight!"
"Then I have something to say too: just now, when we were being chased by Tezcatlipoca, I activated the 'Grimalkin' skill and gave you one evade. That's the only reason you didn't get caught on the spot."
"Bullshit, I clearly used 'Tristan: The Meatshield EX', full combo set, and barely managed to knock Tezcatlipoca-sensei back!"
"You sold out your teammate and still have the nerve to brag? Fine then, call Tezcatlipoca back here and we'll see who—"
The sound of Tezcatlipoca's footsteps echoed from outside again.
Rustle!
Without hesitation, the two dove into the cabinet.
They squeezed into the cramped space so tightly that physical contact was unavoidable—chests pressed together, arms and legs tangled, faces so close they could hear each other's soft breathing.
"Talk all that big talk, then go out and solo him. Don't fight over the cabinet with me," Baobhan Sith murmured quietly.
"I was just bluffing. You actually believed it? You're way too naive."
"As if I believed a single word!"
BAM!
While the two were still bickering, the classroom door suddenly burst open.
Tezcatlipoca had arrived.
The two of them immediately swallowed hard, tension sky-high, not daring to make a sound.
Through the crack in the cabinet door, they could see Tezcatlipoca checking each cabinet one by one, clearly suspecting someone might be hiding inside.
One cabinet after another was inspected—it would soon be their turn.
A cold drop of sweat slid down Eikou's forehead.
This really felt like a life-or-death escape scene!
Especially now that Tezcatlipoca had put on his mask—his appearance was even more terrifying than King Hassan.
[Tezcatlipoca is searching for you.]
[Please perform a Luck check.]
When it came to Luck, he was pretty confident. After all, his Luck stat was A—failing would take an extreme outcome: a Great Failure.
And the chance of a great failure was just one in five.
The dice dropped.
[Luck EX check result: Great Failure.]
"..."
[Crammed together and jostling in the tight cabinet, your limbs tangled up—one careless move caused both of you to lose balance and tumble out of the cabinet together.]
[Tezcatlipoca hadn't even gotten to your cabinet yet— you fell out on your own.]
"..."
Both of them crashed to the ground in a disheveled heap.
But before Eikou could even groan in pain, he sensed a deep shadow falling under the dim moonlight.
He looked up and saw standing before him—none other than Tezcatlipoca.
"..."
Sweat instantly poured from his body.
It was exactly like that feeling of a student looking down at their phone, only to look up and see the teacher standing right in front of them.
[You have both been discovered by Tezcatlipoca. The most logical action now is to take Baobhan Sith and run.]
[Please perform a very-hard Agility check.]