Chapter 215
[Although she learned from Elysia that she could get some information from Pardo, Mei had never actually met this MANTIS before. So, Mei decided to first inquire about the situation from Kalpas.
When Mei found Kalpas, he was laughing maniacally, seemingly in a very good mood. He was even willing to bring up the matter of the 'Dark Side' on his own initiative.
"Haha... That darkness may be utterly worthless, but at least there... there's still one [friend] of mine there."
"Now, she's left that place. Thinking that we can meet again, every single nerve in my body is trembling with excitement, Herrscher."
"You have friends like that too, don't you? Hmm?"
Mei looked at Kalpas as if seeing him for the first time: "...You have friends? To be honest, that's really hard to believe."
Kalpas sneered: "You think I'm a freak... a beast? Aponia won't mind. She and I are the same kind of people—no, she's even more insane, more twisted than I am."
"If I'm a freak, then she's an [Aberration]. Otherwise, who else would treat the Depths as their own [home]?"
"Aponia... I've heard that name before. A powerful psychic-type MANTIS, right?"
"Right, psychic-type. A disgusting type. It's precisely because of this that I've had to wait so long. But only for this matter... I'm willing to be patient."
"One day, I'll tear her apart, piece by piece... Those hands that everyone envies, I'll discard them in Aponia's blood, watching them thoroughly stained a filthy red."
Mei looked at Kalpas with an expression that seemed to ask why these words could possibly form a coherent sentence: "...Just now, you said she was your friend?"
"Yeah, what about it?"
"Let me confirm something first. Although I've been here for a while now, Kalpas... you've never considered me a friend, have you?"
Kalpas said disdainfully: "You can dream about it while you're asleep. Other times..."]
[Stelle]: "Aponia and Kalpas... what a pair of deeply moving good friends!!"
[HSR - Seele]: "This already counts as enemies, right? The kind with irreconcilable hatred."
[Theresa]: "You people... is this how good friends in the Previous Era communicated so affectionately?"
[Elysia]: "Actually... it's only Kalpas and Aponia who are like that. They have their own little tricks for communication♪"
[Fu Hua]: "Judging by this, Kalpas must have suffered quite a loss at Aponia's hands. When psychic-type MANTIS were mentioned, he looked absolutely furious."
[Silver Wolf]: "Maybe he was controlled by Aponia's commandments? Just like Blade and Kafka."
[March 7th]: "This is completely different, okay? At least Blade wouldn't think about treating Kafka like that, tearing her to pieces, right?"
[After bidding farewell to Kalpas, who was happy about soon meeting his dearest friend, Mei went to find Klein. From Klein, Mei received news—
That Raven might be in the [Depths], and was also saddled with a pile of work by Klein. After leaving Klein, Mei learned from Elysia that Pardo had returned. Afterwards, Mei rushed straight to the Elysian Realm's store. "One thousand one hundred thirteen..."
"One thousand one hundred fourteen..."
"Wow, there are so many silver coins! When will I ever finish counting them all!"
"Hmm? A customer has arrived?"
Mei asked Pardo about Raven's whereabouts, but Pardo didn't know where she was either. Moreover, Pardo's cat food cans had also gone missing. So Pardo thought the recent Elysian Realm wasn't very safe, and chose Mei as her bodyguard—Pardo would guide Mei, and Mei would protect Pardo's safety.
Naturally, Mei agreed to this. With Pardo calling her "Big Sister Mei" over and over, she got a super promotion in seniority, and incidentally obtained Pardo's Empty Dream Sigil. On the way to find someone, all the monsters encountered were dealt with by Mei. Pardo showed no intention of stepping in.
Mei asked doubtfully: "Pardo, are you planning to just keep watching from the sidelines?"
"Ah, Big Sister Mei, I'm just a shopkeeper. I'm really not good at fighting."]
[Stelle]: "What an adorable shopkeeper catgirl!!"
[Qingque]: "Klein really has enough overtime work already, grabbing just anyone to make them help..."
[Bronya Zaychik]: "Bronya is skeptical about Pardofelis having no combat ability."
[Pardofelis]: "I'm really weak though. According to your Schicksal's ranking system, I should only be about B-rank, right?"
[HSR - Void Archives]: "I think it should count as A-rank?"
[Murata Himeko]: "Isn't that pretty decent strength?"
[March 7th]: "When someone says they're weak, you should look at who they're comparing themselves to..."]
[When Mei and Pardo finally found Raven, she was staring wide-eyed at the canned food. "I say... do you even know the way back? We've been circling around here for about ten laps already?"
"Meow..."
"Don't put on such a pitiful face... like I'm bullying you or something. Sigh, forget it, let's keep looking around..."
"!! Meow..."
"Hey, you wait for me!... Huh? Mei? What are you doing here?"
Seeing that Raven was safe and sound, Mei immediately breathed a sigh of relief: "I wanted to ask you that, [senior]. You've been missing for so long, and it turns out you're here... playing with a cat?"
"Give me a break. Playing with a cat? More like being played by the cat. If it weren't for her, how would I have gotten trapped here and unable to get out?"
Once all three people and the cat were together, Pardo led the way again, and soon they returned to the main hall. Back in the main hall, Raven told Mei about her experiences exploring the Elysian Realm, feeling that the pitch-black world deep inside was like a [Prison].
"Ah... this is bad now. That woman gave me a golden pendant with a rather large sapphire set in it."
"She said it would help me bring the person she's waiting for to her—though I have no idea what that means."
Mei guessed that this pendant might help them go to the [Prison] again. And she could guess with her eyes closed that the whereabouts of this pendant definitely had something to do with a certain cat.]
[Stelle]: "Pardo ah Pardo, your little hands aren't clean..."
[Sampo]: "This old Sampo thinks maybe Pardo just had a professional relapse?"
[Qingque]: "I guide you all, so taking a little payment is reasonable, right?"
[Pardofelis]: "Ehe?"
[Kafka]: "The Depths feel like a prison... It seems Aponia has imprisoned herself."
[Silver Wolf]: "Similar abilities to yours?"
[Kafka]: "Darling, that's just my guess."
Yesterday was the retake exam.
TL/N : Update will be 5 chapter per day now.