Chapter 154: Ondurururagittan… (Idiot Third-Person Perspective)
Idiot, having separated himself from the bonfire, was making his way towards the entrance of the Drefon Great Labyrinth. Near the entrance, the Adventurers who had accompanied the Off-Campus Training Exercise to monitor the Dungeon were having a drinking party under the guise of keeping watch.
Idiot, after confirming that the person he was looking for wasn’t among them, asked a drunken Adventurer for their whereabouts and headed towards the shade of a rocky area away from the Dungeon entrance.
Going around a large rock, to a place where the clamor of the Adventurers could no longer be heard, a single Tent stood forlornly, and the person he sought was in front of it, feeding twigs into a campfire.
“What brings you here so late at night, Idiot-san?”
As if sensing Idiot’s approach, Ryugu spoke without turning around.
“Tomorrow, we’ll be tackling the Dungeon from the morning. You should rest early.”
“There was something I wanted to take care of before resting.”
“Something you wanted to take care of?”
“Mhm.”
Idiot, standing directly behind Ryugu, drew the real sword he carried at his waist,
――and swung it down on Ryugu’s back.
Bloodstains scattered, dyeing the surroundings red. When Idiot lightly swung his sword to flick off the clinging blood, the blood spray drew an arc on the ground.
“…What a ridiculous Skill this is.”
What remained in his hand was a sense of emptiness, as if he had cut through mist. At the almost complete lack of resistance, Idiot looked down unpleasantly at Ryugu’s fallen body.
“Cutting me down so suddenly, isn’t that terrible?”
Ryugu, who didn’t even twitch, criticized Idiot with exasperation in a tone as if nothing had happened.
“What would you have done if I were the real one?”
“In that case, Tina, who is readying her bow inside the Tent, would have fired a warning shot.”
“I see, you saw through that as well. As expected of Idiot-san.”
Ryugu said in a somewhat pleased tone, and in the next moment, his fallen form distorted as if melting and vanished. Not a single drop of the scattered bloodstains remained.
“As I thought, some kind of Phantom.”
“Correct. The Skill «Phantom». That is the Skill I was granted by God.”
Sensing a presence, Idiot turned around, and Ryugu appeared from the shadow of a tree in the thicket behind him. Idiot had no way to determine whether even that was a Phantom or not.
The Phantoms Ryugu created with his Skill were so indistinguishable from the real thing that one couldn’t tell without actually trying to cut them.
As Idiot readied his sword again, Ryugu raised his hands as if surrendering.
“This one is real, I assure you. Though I don’t know if you’ll believe me…”
“Even Tina doubts me sometimes,” Ryugu sighed, looking tired. That appearance somehow overlapped in Idiot’s eyes with the figure of Hugh, who struggled to handle his Brainwashing Skill.
“Please rest assured. For those who know about the existence of the «Phantom» Skill, its effects are diminished. Idiot-san, you should be able to distinguish them now.”
“I don’t trust you enough to take those words at face value.”
“…That’s unfortunate. So, what is it you require?”
“What a transparent act. Yesterday, during our spar, you deliberately used your Skill to show me. By doing so, you lured me to come here, didn’t you?”
“You are perceptive.”
“I’ll have you answer a few of my questions.”
“Yes, I don’t mind.”
“Ask me anything,” Ryugu replied to Idiot calmly. It seemed he had already guessed Idiot’s intentions for coming here.
While harboring an unsettled feeling, as if being played in the palm of someone’s hand, Idiot pointed his sword at Ryugu and posed a question.
“Back then, were you the one who kidnapped Lady Lecty?”
“…I see, so that’s what you’re concerned about. Not why I didn’t kill you.”
“So you don’t deny it.”
“No, I don’t. It is as you surmise.”
“–!”
The moment Ryugu admitted it, Idiot used the Physical Enhancement of his «Chevalier» Skill and kicked off the ground with all his might. In the instant he tried to swing his sword down at Ryugu—
“Aaalright, that’s enough-ssu.”
――by someone who cut in from the side, Idiot’s sword was easily parried.
“Wha–!?”
Idiot, who reflexively jumped back, recognized the intruder and his eyes widened in astonishment.
A female Knight with purple hair tied to one side, clad in the armor of the Royal Knights Order.
Alissa Swift rested her sword on her shoulder and let out an exasperated sigh, as if to say “good grief.”
“Your attacks are still no good, Idiot-shounen-ssu. If you’re serious about killing your opponent, I always tell you to go for a counter, don’t I-ssu?”
“Alissa-joshi!? Why are you here…-!?”
“Why, you ask? I’ve been here all along-ssu~. Behind you.”
“That can’t be… Don’t tell me…-!”
He hadn’t felt Alissa’s presence at all until this very moment. Then, was she a Phantom created by Ryugu? …No, a Phantom couldn’t possibly parry a sword.
If that’s the case, there’s only one answer.
Ryugu’s «Phantom» had concealed Alissa’s presence.
“Have you betrayed us, Alissa Swift-!!”